I'm An Olympian? Chapter One
by WaterNymphana
Summary: When Cassiopeia O'Toole finds out that she is a Half-Blood, her world turns upside-down. Soon, she is off on the adventure of a lifetime. She is joined by her friends, Leander, Tobias Jackson, and Andromeda Roelle.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Please Dad?" I pleaded. My dad busily scurried around our rented apartment collecting various pieces of artwork.

The apartment was in New York. We had rented it for the summer. It was only the first week of summer break and we had just moved in two days ago.

You see, my dad is an artist. He does all sorts of pencil drawing and paintings and he is really good. Today, he had an exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. He had to be there in fifteen minutes.

He ignored my begging. "Aw, Dad!" I complained. "I'll have nothing to do! I'll have to stay here while you're at the exhibition, and there's all that sight-seeing to do! It's practically screaming for me to explore it!"

He shook his head, blond hair swishing back and forth. "You'll have no way to contact me." He protested.

"I could take your old cell phone. You have the new Iphone. I'll call you on that."

He still seemed hesitant. I don't know why. I'm already fourteen, but he still wouldn't allow me to have my own cell phone. He always got nervous when I brought up the subject.

"Please, please, please?" I folded my hands under my chin, widened my eyes, and stuck out my lower lip, just a bit. I blinked mournfully a couple times to add to the effect.

He groaned and turned away, running both hands through his already messy hair.

"Oh Cassiopeia, you know I can't say no to you when you do that!" He exclaimed. He dug into his pocket and handed me the small, black mobile.

"Awesome!" I cried happily. "You're the best, Dad." I threw my arms around him and kissed his cheek.

Flying toward the door, I snatched my burgundy messenger bag and a map of the city.

"Bye! Hope your art show goes well!" I called to him over my shoulder. He was following closely behind me with his overflowing portfolio.

Once I was on the street, I started walking with no particular destination in mind.

It was a glorious day in June. The sun shone cheerily down on the jammed streets of New York. People bustled by all around me, preoccupied with their various thoughts and phone calls.

I pulled out the map and looked for something to grab my interest. Quickly, I decided to head to Central Park and do some sketching. I already had my sketchbook and pencils in my bag. I carried that bag with me everywhere. It had almost anything and everything I could need in it.

I strolled for a long time, following the map. "It should be right around this corner…." I muttered to myself, studying the roads plastered to the paper in front of me. I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere, because I didn't end up in Central Park. A dank, disgusting alley greeted my eyes. Definitely not Central Park.

I yanked the map in front of my face again. "Hmmm." My eyes followed my tracing finger. "I might be able to cut through here." I started walking again, heading into the alley toward the light at the other end.

The cell phone jangled in my pocket, so I pulled it out. It had Dad's number on the caller ID. I answered. "Hey, Dad." His pleasant rumble greeted me back. "Hey, Sweetheart. I just wanted to make sure you were ok, and tell you I'll be back from the exhibition a bit later than I thought. Will you be all right by yourself for supper?"

"Sure." I assured him. "There's some left over soup in the fridge. I'll eat that. Have fun."

"Love you, Honey."

"Love you too, Dad."

He hung up.

I put the phone back in my pocket and stepped forward again. When I looked up, however, there was a seriously ugly old lady blocking my path.

"Are you lost, dearie?" She screeched in a voice that could and would shatter glass.

"Umm. No." I said. "Just cutting through here. S'cuse me." I tried to pass her, but she hobbled in front of me.

"You poor thing." She fluttered her hands, which I noticed were grimy and had wickedly long nails. She had on a long, dark dress that was rather shapeless. Her hair was sparse and greasy, hanging midway down her back, but it was her eyes that creeped me out in particular. They were bulging and blood red.

"Why don't you come with me?" She offered, seizing my arm in a surprisingly strong grip. "I can help you."

"No. Thanks. I'm fine." I disagreed, fighting to free myself.

"Stop struggling." She ordered me. "Sister, come over here."

Another old hag, almost identical to the one holding my arm, approached my other side.

"Dearie must not struggle." She cackled, taking my other arm.

I strained backwards then shot straight forward at a run. It had successfully broken their grips, and I was free. I thought.

A dark form swooped past my head and one of the old ladies landed right in the path of my running feet. Only now she had a dark leathery membrane stretching from her wrist up her arm and down her sides, creating shadowy wings. Sharp, pointed teeth protruded over her bottom lip and her hands transformed into claws.

I skidded to a halt. _Wait. She has WINGS?! And fangs?! Now that is a creepy grandma!_ I whirled, only to find the other hag closing in behind me.As I watched, she transformed to look just like her sister.

_This is definitely not cool._

Some pretty strange things had happened to me throughout my life, but this was definitely one of the weirder instances. _Like that one time with the life guard at the community pool…._ I shuddered in remembrance.

I was trapped. I instantly decided to make a break for it. I sprinted for the first hag, barreling into her.

I thought I would have bowled her over, but she just grunted and hung on to me.

Sharp talons dug through my shirt into my shoulder. I winced.

The other grandma flew after us. She slashed at my face, opening three long cuts on my cheek. She launched herself at my head.

I couldn't see anymore. She was blocking off my sight.

I stumbled, falling heavily on my knees.

And suddenly, a force slammed into the lady on my shoulder, rocketing her off of me. I still couldn't see because of the crone on my head. I heard a metallic clank and then she was gone. A fine dusting of sand spilled over my head and shoulders.

I raised my head. The creep was nowhere to be seen. Then I saw a young man with a sword lunging at the remaining hag. He swung at her, and she disintegrated, with a hideous shriek, into a pile of dust similar to the first old hag.

The young man turned to me, sheathing his weapon by his side. He had sun-lightened brown hair, a perfect tan, and shockingly blue eyes. And, get this. The guy had wings; white, downy soft wings.

"Dude." I whispered, mouth falling open. _Is he an angel?_ I thought to myself.

He walked over and offered me his hand. A wide, brilliant, white smile split his face. "Are you all right?" He asked.

I took his hand hesitantly, and he pulled me to my feet.

I stared at him in disbelief. _Was I still in bed, dreaming? It had to be. This far outweighed the other strange happenings in my life. _

"I'm Leander." He said, probably trying to break the silence. I pressed my slack mouth closed.

"Sorry about them." He apologized, gesturing over his shoulder at the sand piles. "Keres. I hate them." He shuddered. "I can't believe they found you before the satyrs did."

I nodded absently. The old ladies sure were disturbing.

_Wait, did he just say satyrs?_

I had had enough whackos for one day. I scooped up my messenger bag, slung it over my shoulder and speed-walked toward the street.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" He called, jogging to catch up. "Where are you going? I just saved you!"

I ignored him, and broke into a run. I was suddenly seized from behind and my feet left the pavement. I thought it might be one of the Keres attacking again.

A strangled cry escaped my lips and I thrashed back and forth.

"Stop. Fighting. Me." Leander grunted. _Oh, so Leander is the one who grabbed me…._

We flew passed a rooftop. He dumped me unceremoniously on the flat roof and landed next to me.

I leaped up to run, but he blocked my path. "Hey, why are you running?" He demanded. "I'm the good guy!"

"You're a creep." I said, trying to dodge him. "Put me back on the street!" I shouted, when he wouldn't let me pass.

I turned my back on him and extracted the phone from my pocket, hoping to catch my dad. Or anybody. Maybe the police. They could take this loony to the asylum.

"Wait!" He yelled. "Don't use that! It'll bring more monsters!"

I halted, staring at him. _Ok. This guy is officially insane._

"Monsters?" I repeated, looking mystified. "A cell phone is going to summon monsters?" I laughed skeptically.

He rolled his eyes. "Idiot." He grumbled under his breath. "They're always like this."

"Look," He addressed me. "Just put the phone away."

I glared at him, about to protest, but I was interrupted by another blood-chilling shriek. Another of those… _Keres, did he call them?_ zoomed onto the roof, followed closely by three more.

_There are more of them?!_

Leander yelped and grabbed me around the waist, making me drop the cell phone. He leaped off the roof, wings snapping open to catch the air currents.

We fled from the flock of Keres at high speeds, as New York passed in a blur under us.

"Wait!" I yelled. "Where are we going? Go back! I need that cell phone!!"

A chorus of squawks behind us answered my demand. The Keres were giving chase. I didn't think the phone was so important now.

Leander sped up, going as fast as he could. He looked grim. With my extra weight, I was probably slowing him down.

We flew, following the coastline along Long Island Sound. The Keres never actually caught up, but with every minute we were growing slower. Leander's arms around me were shaking from exhaustion.

After about ten minutes, I noticed a huge strawberry farm below, but there were strange structures there too, that I wouldn't expect to see on a farm. A big, old looking house, painted blue sat at the bottom of a hill. Next to that were some volleyball courts, and another, smaller building. On top of the hill a huge pine tree was sentinel over the entire property. To my amazement, a big, scaly dragon, (Yes, that's right. A dragon.) lay sleeping at its base, smoke puffing from his nostrils. Besides that, there was a climbing wall, spewing lava, an amphitheater, an arena, an open-air courtyard, a large oval-shaped arrangement of cabins, and two other buildings.

Leander suddenly dropped like a stone out of the sky. I'm ashamed to admit that I screamed, just a little.

We landed, somewhat shakily, smack dab in the middle of the strawberry fields. I glanced nervously at the sky, searching for Keres. I saw all four of them. But they weren't flying towards us anymore. They flew back and forth in an imaginary line just behind the pine tree on the hill, screeching and cackling their disapproval, but they didn't come any closer.

I turned to the angel-boy next to me. "How come they aren't following?" I asked. "And where are we? And is that a real dragon on the hill?" My ADHD mind added that last bit.

He held up a fist to stop the flow of questions. "One," He started, raising a finger. "Monsters can't pass the magic border. The pine makes sure of that." Another finger popped up. "Two, yes that is indeed a _real _dragon. And three, welcome to Camp Half-Blood!"

I blinked. _What a strange name for a camp._

Leander grabbed my hand and none to gently towed me along the rows of strawberries. I gazed in amazement at kids sparring in the arena, kids riding what appeared to be winged horses, and the most befuddling thing: boys with hairy, goatish lower halves.

_Those must be the satyrs._

We marched right up to the blue house and clattered up the steps to the porch. He let go of my hand and pounded on the front door. It was opened by short, tanned girl with red hair and sparkling blue eyes. She stared at me, then quickly dropped her gaze, edged around us, and took off in the direction of the cabins.

Wing-guy pulled me along again, through the front door.

"Chiron?" He called.

"In here!" A deep, musical voice responded.

I got dragged around the corner and saw a centaur and a girl of about sixteen leaning over some papers on a table.

It had been such a weird day I almost wasn't surprised to see the centaur. Almost.

"Ah, Leander." He sighed, straightening up. He almost reached the ceiling.

The girl next to him came around to see me better. She was the most gorgeous girl I have ever seen in my life. I mean, drop dead gorgeous. She had flawless, tanned skin, long, long blond hair, which was perfectly pulled back in a French braid, and unfathomable brown eyes. And I don't mean mud brown eyes; I mean rich, silky, chocolate brown eyes.

I blushed furiously and dropped my gaze, unconsciously bringing a hand up to my own tangled, wind-blown curls. I was painfully aware of my dirty, blood-stained shirt, my ripped and muddy jeans, and my altogether harried appearance.

"And who is this?" The centaur questioned. Leander opened his mouth to reply, but closed it again. Turning towards me, brows lowered, he said: "Actually, I have no idea."

All three people stared at me, waiting for me to speak up.

"Um… I'm Cassi O'Toole." I introduced myself. Usually I just used my nickname, Cassi, when meeting new people. I mean how many girls are named Cassiopeia after all? Don't get me wrong, I loved my name, but I most often got dubbed as strange when others found out about it.

"Pleased to meet you Cassi." The centaur said, dipping his head in a nod. "I would like to welcome you to Camp Half-Blood. I am Chiron and this," He motioned to the girl next to him with one hand. "is Andromeda Roelle." He faced Leander. "Now," He continued. "Tell me what happened. I wasn't aware that you were watching a possible hero."

Leander shook his head. "There wasn't." He agreed. "I was coming back from my contact with Levi. I was flying over New York when I noticed two Keres attacking this girl. I obviously flew to the rescue and brought her here." He puffed out his chest proudly.

"Without permission!" I growled. "My dad is probably worried sick about me!" Which wasn't exactly true. He most likely didn't even suspect something was wrong, but he would be worried if he knew what had happened.

Chiron nodded in understanding. "We will contact your father. Do not worry. In the meantime, it is safer for you here. Leander, you did a good job in bringing her to camp. However, maybe next time be a bit gentler." He admonished, noting my frazzled person.

I still had absolutely no clue what all this ultra-weird stuff was about. It was turning out to be a really, really bizarre day.

Seeing my confused face, Chiron laid a comforting hand on my shoulder. Casting a quick glance at Leander, he said: "I'm assuming she doesn't know anything." Leander shook his head. "Not as far as I can tell."

"Why don't you follow me?" He suggested looking at me again. "Andromeda, we can discuss this another time."

He ushered me into an adjacent room. "Well, my dear, this has probably been a rather unexpected day for you, has it not?" He chuckled, although I didn't find anything funny in that fact.

"I need to speak with your father. Is that possible?" He asked me.

"Well, I know his number, but Leander made me drop my cell phone earlier."

He nodded. "That is for the better. When half-bloods use cell phones, it sends out some strong vibes that monsters find hard to resist. We can use the phone here." I dialed, and handed the phone to Chiron.

After a few rings, Dad must have picked up, because the centaur said: "Mr. O'Toole? My name is Chiron. I am calling to tell you your daughter is safe. Yes. Cassi. Yes. She is at Camp Half-blood. Does that mean anything to you?"

The room was silent for a few moments while my dad talked on the other end of the line. Then he spoke again. "I see. Yes. I will tell her. Don't worry about her. She will be well cared for. Certainly."

He handed the phone to me.

"Dad?" I squeaked. His warm, reassuring voice met my ears. "Oh Cassi. Are you ok, Sweetheart?"

"I'm fine, Dad. But today has kinda been a weird day."

"I understand." He replied.

_No, Dad. I don't think you do._

"Listen, Honey. Chiron is going to explain everything to you. You'll be better off there, ok?"

"You mean you want me to stay here?" I gasped.

"Yes. I'm sorry. I don't want to be apart from you, but you'll be safer there."

It was hard to manage, but I swallowed and answered him.

"Ok."

My dad continued. "I'll bring a suitcase with your clothes and stuff. I should be there in a day or two. I can't come inside the border though. It'll be a short visit."

"I can't wait to see you. Love you."

"Love you too, Sweetheart."

He hung up. I handed the phone back to Chiron, who smiled sympathetically.

I sat on the big, overstuffed couch. I looked up at the centaur. "My dad said you would explain everything."

He nodded. "Oh boy, how to start." He sighed. "This is always the most difficult part."

"How about the beginning?" I suggested. "That's where I would start."

He laughed. "I suppose that is very good advice. All right. I will."

I sat back, preparing for a weird story.

Chiron gathered a first aid box from the room next door and knelt next to me. He gently started to clean out the cuts on my face and shoulder.

"Do you know both your parents?" Chiron asked abruptly. I hadn't seen that one coming.

"No." I shook my head. "I live with my dad. I've never met my mother."

"That narrows it down somewhat." He informed himself. After a short silence, he said: "There's no easy way to break this to you, so here goes." He sucked in a deep breath. "Cassi, you are a Demi-god."

I let out my pent up breath in relief at knowing somewhat what was going on. Just kidding. _ What is a Demi-god? _

Chiron, seeing my confusion, continued.

"You are the daughter of a mortal and a goddess. We… we… don't exactly know which one yet," He admitted. "But we'll figure it out eventually. Most of the half-bloods that come in here are undetermined."

"I…I'm…the daughter of…..a goddess?" I stammered incredulously.

He nodded. "I know the idea is hard to get used to at first."

"So, the Greek gods of mythology are real?" I asked. "Like Zeus and Hades and Poseidon?"

He grinned. "Yes. They are the Big Three, sons of the Titan lord Kronos. The other major gods are Ares, god of war; Hermes, god of messengers; Hephaestus, god of the forges; Artemis, goddess of hunters;"

I took it up from there. "Athena, goddess of thought; Apollo, god of light, brother to Artemis; Aphrodite, goddess of love; Hera, protector of marriage and family; Dionysus, god of prosperity and wine; and Demeter, goddess of grain and fertility."

"Good." He encouraged. "You have a very sharp mind. Yes, they are all real. Then there are also the many minor gods and goddesses. Here at Camp Half-Blood, we offer protection and training for all their children."

"But don't the gods live in Greece?" I asked. "Why would Camp Half-Blood be in America?"

He half-smiled. "The gods move with the height of western civilization. They are part of the reason it is so prosperous. Back then, Greece was the height of western civilization. Now, it's America, so they naturally live in America."

"I think I understand somewhat, but how do you know I'm a Demi-god?"

"I have a rather personal question to ask you." He replied. "Do you struggle with Dyslexia and ADHD?"

I nodded vigorously. "You have no idea."

He smiled a smile that made me think, maybe he did. "Most children of the gods do. You have difficulty reading English because your natural language is Greek. You have quick reflexes that allow you to excel on the battle-field, but make normal life seem a bit slow moving."

"Chiron!" A voice called from the front door. "It's dinner time!"

He turned. "I'm sorry I cannot answer more questions right now. Let us go to dinner."

He helped me to my feet, and trotted to the door.

We strolled down across the valley, passed the cabins, to the open-aired courtyard/mess hall.

All the kids, maybe two hundred in all, were gathered.

"Each god or goddess has their own table." Chiron explained. "Since you are undetermined, you will stay in Hermes's cabin."

"He's the god of messengers, travelers, and thieves, right?" I remembered.

Chiron looked surprised. "That's right. For now, you can sit here, next to Dionysius and me at the head table." Satyrs and what I guessed to be wood-nymphs carried out serving plates overflowing with grilled chicken, fresh fruit, salad, and brownies for dessert.

It smelled amazing. I followed the stream of kids filing past the fire pit. Each of them scraped a bit off their plate, an offering for the gods. When it was my turn at the fire, I scraped a juicy bit of barbeque into the flames. I didn't know exactly what to say. Since I didn't know who my mother was yet, I said something pretty stupid. "Um, Mom? I don't know exactly who you are, but I wish I did. So, yeah. That's all."

The burning meat smelled pretty good to my nose. I was about to turn away when I noticed an unobtrusive twelve year old girl. She sat beside the fire, poking the flames. Her eyes were warm, mirroring the heat of the fire. I smiled at her. She smiled back shyly.

Then, I walked back to the table.

After the meal, Chiron stood, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention.

"This is the close of another day at Camp Half-Blood. I would like to introduce you to a new camper. Her name is Cassi O'Toole. For now, she will be staying in the Hermes cabin until her mother is determined."

I didn't like everyone's eyes on me, but it didn't last long. Soon, they all lost interest and turned back to their friends.

Next, there was a sing-along around the bonfire, led by the kids from Apollo's cabin. It was pretty fun. I liked to sing and was pretty average. I guess.

Later, as all the students began straggling back to their cabins, Chiron motioned for a girl from the Hermes table. "Violet, will you please show Miss O'Toole to your cabin and find a bunk for her?"

The girl nodded, and with a glance at me, she walked away at a speed walk. Tentatively, I followed her. She walked without saying a single thing to me. When we arrived at the Hermes cabin, Violet and I pushed inside along with all the other kids.

Violet led me to an empty bunk. I placed my messenger bag underneath it and sat on the edge. The cabin was full. Almost every bunk was taken.

"It's crowded in here." Violet spoke for the first time. "But it's not as bad as it used to be. Before Perseus Jackson made the gods promise to claim their children before they turned thirteen, there was barely enough room to walk. Or so I heard. That was nineteen years ago. The gods are starting to forget their promise, like everybody said they would. So, it's back to being full to the brim in the god of travelers' cabin. Hopefully they figure out who your parent is soon." She turned to her own bunk. "Sleep well." She called over her shoulder.

I thought that with all the crazy stuff that had happened to me, not to mention finding out I was the daughter of a goddess, I wouldn't be able to sleep anytime soon. Within ten minutes, I was out.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

I was awakened the next morning as all the campers in the Hermes cabin began to get up and ready themselves for the day.

I rolled out of bed, grabbed my bag, and headed for the girls bathroom that I remembered passing last night. Once there, I took a quick shower, which I had been longing for since yesterday. I pulled out a change of clothes from my kit. What'd I tell you? I packed everything in there.

After changing into jean Capri's and a teal tee-shirt, I braided my damp, coffee-colored curls together. The plait was so long it stretched down to my waist.

I left quickly. The bathroom was really crowded, especially with a group of girls who were congregated around the mirrors putting on make-up and giggling to each other. I guessed they were all from the same cabin, because they all had one thing in common. They were stunningly beautiful and fashionable. I saw Andromeda Roelle among them, which didn't surprise me.

A little unsure of what to do next, I decided my best bet was to follow the rush of campers heading back toward the mess hall.

It was breakfast time, so I sat with the Hermes cabin at their table. I sat at the end, away from the others. I was self-conscious around the others, since I was the new kid. I ate in silence.

After breakfast was finished, everybody streamed away in varying directions. Chiron called me over. Next to him stood a boy who I guessed to be close to my sixteen years. He was a couple inches taller than my five feet and six inches. His messy black hair was so long almost hid his eyes. A spray of freckles covered his nose, and his green eyes were extremely bright and intelligent. He wasn't smiling. In fact, he was almost glaring at me as he stood with his arms crossed.

"Cassi," Chiron addressed me. He smiled warmly.

"This is Tobias Jackson, son of Perseus and Annabeth." It seemed like I should know who these people were, and I recalled Violet mentioning Perseus the night before, but it was my first day. All I understood was that this Jackson guy was probably important. I had no clue why.

"I have asked him to be your guide for the day." Chiron continued. "He will participate in all the activities with you and show you the grounds."

I smiled in greeting to him, deciding that even if he wasn't friendly, I would be nice. He inclined his head slightly at me, but kept a straight face.

Chiron addressed Tobias. "Tobias, represent this camp well and uphold your father's legacy." He trotted away.

Tobias scoffed softly, and stalked away in the opposite direction. He didn't even stop to see if I was following.

I did follow. I didn't know what else to do.

After a long time of silence, I spoke up. "So, what exactly did your dad do? He seems pretty famous."

Tobias whirled angrily, fire springing to life in his eyes. "He was just another average hero! He did something special, and now all of a sudden he's everybody's idol! He might be the greatest hero since Hercules, maybe even better, but that doesn't mean I have to be like him!" His tirade startled me. I stumbled back a few steps, but he spun and stormed off again.

I let him cool down, then spoke up again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to open up a sore subject. I was just curious. I won't ask again."

He looked surprised at my apology, then remorseful. He sheepishly turned to face me. "Sorry." He mumbled. "Didn't mean to get so upset. You're the new girl. You wouldn't understand." He offered me his hand.

"Let's start over. I'm Tobi. I'm from the Poseidon and Athena cabins."

I shook his hand, grateful that he wasn't mad anymore. "I'm Cassi, but I guess you already knew that. I don't know who my mother is yet."

He nodded sympathetically. "That's how a lot of kids are when they come. Most of the gods send a sign of some sort within a couple weeks, but it doesn't always happen."

"Sorry if this is nosy, but how can you be from two cabins? If you were the son of a god and a goddess, then wouldn't that make you a minor god?"

He shrugged. "Yeah, but my parents are both Demi-gods. My dad is a son of Poseidon, and my mom is a daughter of Athena. So that makes me…..a double Demi-god, I guess."

"I see." We walked in silence for a few minutes. He led me on a tour of the buildings and their surroundings.

Everything was gorgeous. The lake was clear and sapphire blue. I saw naiads splashing each other playfully in the water, dodging around some campers who were canoeing on the placid water.

The satyrs picked fat, red strawberries in the fields. That was Camp Half-Blood's cover for overly curious mortals. They were masquerading as a strawberry farm called Delphi's Strawberries. Tobi explained that to me.

We also walked past the stables, which, by the way, _did_ have winged horses called Pegasi. _I know, amazing, right?_

A young man, who Tobi said was named Preston, from the Apollo cabin, was leading the Ares cabin in sword fighting drills.

The Hephaestus kids were at the arts and crafts building making new weapons and armor.

Others were climbing the lava wall, which looked just a little intimidating. Rocks and lava fell from the top, threatening to slam into the climbers. I wasn't looking forward to trying my luck on that.

We were just walking back from the beach on Long Island Sound for lunch when we passed the woods. They were thick and mysterious looking. I heard strange howls and rustling from within.

"Is there something in the woods?" I asked Tobi. He grinned. "Only a few monsters, nothing to worry about."

"Monsters?!" I yelped. "I thought they couldn't come inside the border!"

"Don't get all worked up!" He laughed. "They can if someone from inside the camp invites them in. We only keep them in there for training purposes."

I sighed in relief.

We finally reached the mess hall and got in line to get our food and drop some in the fire. "Thanks for showing me around." I said to Tobi. He grinned lopsidedly at me and we split to our different tables.

As I had done that morning, I sat at the end of the Hermes table by myself. This time however, someone joined me. She was in her mid thirties, I guessed, with red hair and green eyes. Her jeans were covered in marker drawings and writing. She smiled at me in a friendly way. "So, you're the new girl." She reached across the tabletop to shake my hand. "I'm Rachel."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Cassi." I was a bit shy around this new adult, but she turned out to be pretty cool. We talked all through lunch.

"Are you a half-blood?" I inquired. "Not to be rude, but I haven't seen any campers as old as you."

She laughed good-naturedly. "No, no. I'm a mortal, but I'm here on….special circumstances."

I let the subject drop. If she wanted to tell me about her 'special circumstances', as she put it, she would.

Chiron stood at the end of the meal. "Campers!" He called. "Tonight, we are going to have a treat. There will be a game of capture the flag."

Excited chatter exploded all around the mess hall.

"Quiet! Quiet down everybody!" Chiron yelled over the noise. When the talking died down, he continued. "After dinner tonight, we will skip the bonfire and meet at the edge of the woods. Come prepared with your armor and weapons."

I gulped, recalling the monsters that Tobi said were stocked in the forest.

Later, Tobi and I headed to the armory. "Do you have a preference in weapons?" He asked me as he shoved the doors wide. Then he laughed. "Never mind. I suppose you wouldn't. Have you even used a weapon before?" I shook my head. "Unless you include kitchen knives in that category."

"Let's see what fits best then. Hmmm." He contemplated the inventory. The armory was so cool. The walls were covered with bows, swords, javelins, shields, and all other sorts of weaponry. I ran my finger gently down the edge of a sword.

"Come over here Cassi." Tobi called. I followed his voice and found him around a corner. He looked over me critically. "Do you think you'd like a close range combat weapon or long range?"

"Preferably something that allows me to stay as far away from the enemy as possible."

A smile stretched his lips. "Nervous are you?"

"You could say that." I spotted a gleaming sword hanging next to his head. I reached up and took it down. It was surprisingly light and felt balanced in my hand. I swung it experimentally.

Tobi turned towards me just as I swung. The sword would have hit him in the head, but I pulled my hand back and spun, using the force of my swing to propel me around. When he came back into view, he had a stunned look on his face. "Whoa. I think you're a natural at that. Does it feel balanced in your hand? Does it feel like an extension of your arm, or is it awkward?"

I took a few more swings. _Small _swings. "I think so. It just feels right in my hand."

He nodded. "I think we found the right one. Now, let's see about shields." Within a few minutes, we had picked out a round shield, plated in silver. He also strapped some light armor on me. He had already put his on.

We clanked to the edge of the woods, where most of the kids were already gathered. Chiron shouted instructions.

"All right everyone, you know the rules, but for the benefit of the new campers, I'll review them. The boundary line is Zephyr creek. The teams will be as follows: Zeus, Hades, Dionysus, Artemis, Hephaestus, and Hera cabins versus Poseidon, Athena, Demeter, Apollo, Aphrodite and Hermes cabins. All the other minor gods' cabins can choose which side they want to play on. No maiming, killing, or intentionally injuring allowed. Magical items are permitted. Teams, take your places."

We scattered to our respective sides. I followed Tobi. I was grateful to be on his team, since I didn't know anybody else that well.

"You can stay on defense. Our flag is right there. Don't let anyone through." He placed me close to the flag, along with roughly half of the other campers on our team. He grinned broadly at me. "This is going to be the best game of capture the flag ever." Then a sharp whistle split the air and he sped off across the border line.

It was quiet for a bit on our side. We could hear yells and clanging metal coming from the other team's side, but nobody ventured over from the opposing team. Then, a group of about five Ares campers sprinted into view.

Preston Thompson, the kid who had been leading sword practice that morning, yelled. "You four, take them." I was one of the ones he motioned at. "The rest of you, stand your ground and keep a sharp eye out for others."

I hesitated. _I'm supposed to fight these guys off?_ My three other teammates were already running. I decided to have fun. I joined the other three at full speed. I clashed with a tall, muscular girl carrying a javelin. I blocked her thrust with my shield and jabbed at her side. She dodged to one side and kicked at me. I jumped aside from her kick, but got slammed in the head with her gloved fist. I saw stars and found myself on the ground.

_Apparently, I need more practice at this._ The Ares girl was running deeper into the woods, intent on sneaking around our flag from behind.

I staggered to my feet and followed. I lost sight of our defensive line. In fact, I lost sight of everybody. I couldn't find the Ares girl, or any of my teammates.

I heard a strangled yell from further in the woods. I went that way. What I saw, was extremely unpleasant.

Heavy footfalls shuddered the ground.

There before me stood a bull. He was ten feet tall, muscular, and wicked angry. The Ares girl had his attention at the moment. He swung his head down at her, catapulting her into the air. She crashed into a tree trunk, and slid to a stop at the bottom. And stayed there, unmoving.

The bull sniffed the air. He turned to face me in all his nightmarish fury.

One look into his eyes and I could tell I was dead meat.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The bull snorted a burst of roasting, rancid breath into my face. My knees started shaking.

He pawed the ground and wheezed again. I just about ran right then, but he charged me so fast I didn't have time to even think about escaping.

The creature ran at me with lowered head, sharpened horns ready to tear my face apart. My quivering legs managed to propel me to the side at the very last moment.

The bull's momentum pushed him a few yards further away, for which I was grateful. I regained my legs just as he came back at me. This time, I swung my sword at his leg as I dodged aside.

I clipped his right knee, but that only served to make him even more enraged.

If it was possible, he became even more terrifying.

The bull tossed his massive head, throwing me jarringly to the packed earth. My sword flew out of my hands and skittered to rest a few yards away. The blade landed with the bull between it and me. He reared, hooves flailing. I rolled desperately out from under him.

He roared and flung his head back and forth, looking wildly for me. I attempted to sprint around him, back to my sword. He spotted me and thundered into my path. I had to change directions or risk being run through with his horns.

_I have to think of some way to get my sword. I'm a goner without it._

I ran at him, yelling maniacally and waving my arms frantically. I made as much noise as possible and tried to look big and intimidating. It didn't work. The bull just cocked his head in confusion and charged again.

When he leaped, most likely trying to trample me to bits smaller than dust, I dove under his airborne body. I rolled right next to my blade and scooped it up as I gathered my feet under me.

The creature blasted out a hideous, heart-stopping shriek of rage. He thundered across the space between us and I knew that rolling to the side wasn't going to fool him this time.

I whirled and fled from the clattering hooves of death.

I jumped as high as I possibly could and grappled for a branch to cling to. I clambered up the tree as fast as I could. My feet hung in open air as the bull rattled past underneath.

He circled the trunk, eyeing me in the branches. Retreating a few steps, he lowered his horns and charged. He collided violently with the tree, almost shaking me out of my currently safe place.

The beast threw himself at the tree several times. Each time, my grip on the branch loosened. The next time he charged, I swung down from the branch and straddled his back.

When he felt my weight, he went berserk. He bucked and reared, slinging his head back and forth and bellowing his wrath. It was all I could do to hang on.

He slammed accidentally against a tree in his vehemence, jarring both of us. The bull momentarily stopped his fit. I seized the moment. Who knew when another would come? I gripped the hilt of my sword, which was miraculously still in my hand, and plunged it straight into the top of his head.

He blared out in pain and agony, teetering to the right, then the left. Then he toppled sideways. I launched powerfully off of his back and congratulated myself on a graceful dive. I hit the ground rolling and halted in a crouch, ready for him if he decided to get up again.

When the bull landed, tremors ricocheted across the clearing. His body melted into a pile of dust large enough to drown me if I tried swimming in it. Which I never would.

I sighed in relief and stood.

It was then that I noticed the clearing surrounded by all the campers. They all stood at the edge of the clearing, forming a ring. Mouths hung open and astonished faces stared at what had once been the bull.

Chiron cantered up to me. "Are you all right, Cassi?" He looked concerned.

I didn't think my voice would work at the moment, so I nodded. "Yeah. What – what was that thing?" I managed to croak out.

He crossed his arms across his chest. "That was the Cretan Bull, father of the minotaur."

I gulped.

A couple campers had made their way over to the still unconscious Ares girl. Chiron rode over to make sure she was unhurt.

When the centaur stood again, he looked murderous.

"Who let that beast inside the border?" He gazed around the circle, glaring at each camper in turn.

Nobody said a word. Heck, nobody even moved. They all stared straight ahead, serious expressions on their faces.

"Who was it?!" Chiron roared. He was really upset.

Still nobody answered him.

He frowned and cantered out of the clearing. "Game over. Everybody to their cabins. Now." He spit over his shoulder.

All the campers were still staring at me. I wished they would stop.

Suddenly everyone gasped. One kid pointed at me. "The sign!" He said quietly.

I tilted my head back and saw above me the pink, glowing image of a swan. It stayed for a bit, rotating gently above my head, and then faded.

"She's an Aphrodite girl!" Someone called.

I ducked my head and tried to escape from their stares.

I found myself converged upon by a group of excited, boisterous Aphrodite kids. They were all babbling and trying to congratulate me at the same time.

I was pulled along with the flood of campers going back to the Aphrodite cabin. _My cabin now._

I was a daughter of Aphrodite. _Wow._

Everyone else began dejectedly trekking back to their cabins, whispering quietly to each other.

We burst through the door to the cabin. Everything was neat and orderly, and matched perfectly. Frills and bows covered almost everything. Except for the guys' stuff, I mean. But even their stuff matched perfectly.

I was given a bunk for myself, so I pushed my bag underneath my new bed.

Later, the lights were out, and everybody was in bed. It had been difficult to calm everyone enough to go to sleep. They all were excited to have a new half-sister.

As I lay there thinking, I held my sword in my hand, just studying it. It had served me well during my battle with the bull. _She needs a name… _

The blade was straight and true, honed on both edges. I hadn't noticed it before, but the blade had an engraved design of rose vines climbing up from the hilt. The hilt was bound in black tape. The cross-hilt was gold and had a rose carved in the middle; an amethyst was embedded in the center of the flower.

I dubbed her Antigone, which means strong of character.

I floated gently into sleep, clutching my sword, Antigone, tightly.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

The next morning, we all scampered across the grass to the bathroom to clean up. After my shower, I brushed out my hair, but left it out of the braid. The curls tumbled over my shoulders, framing my face.

I decided to leave quickly, like I had yesterday. Every single one of the Aphrodite girls stopped getting ready to look me up and down. They took in my jean shorted, violet tank-topped, and make-up-less state. In astonishment, the girls watched as I nodded in approval to my reflection and marched out the door.

At breakfast, I sat with my cabin. I talked to a few girls and guys. They seemed okay, but they were obsessed with their appearance, gossip, and romantic relationships. I hated that kind of stuff. I was fine with who I was. I liked reading, studying, and getting dirty.

We straggled over to the arena for sword and shield practice with Preston Thompson. I jumped right into the exercise, but my cabin mates hung around the edges, hesitant to get dirty and sweaty.

The Apollo leader lined us up in two lines, each facing a straw-stuffed dummy. "Now," He called out. "Lunge, thrust, retreat. Go!"

I lunged toward the manikin, stabbing with Antigone, then pushed back to standing straight. Preston watched us from behind. He stopped at my place. "Again!" He instructed. "Lunge, thrust, and retreat."

I did as I was told.

"Good." He encouraged. "You're pretty comfortable with the blade. Try this combination."

He unsheathed his sword, took my place facing the dummy, and proceeded to accomplish a series of fancy steps, dodges, jumps, and stabs that left my brain in the dust.

"Your turn." He said. I didn't move. There was no way I could copy those steps.

"It's ok. I'll step you through it. Hold your sword like this. Good. Now swing at the dummy's legs. Yes. Spin to the right. Now leap. Land in a crouch, while chopping upward at his shield arm. Very good. Dive to the left, and roll back to your feet."

I followed his instructions, and ended the exercise out of breath.

"Great!" He clapped me on the back. "I expect you'll do well in the future."

I blushed at his praise. He moved on, and soon sword practice was over.

Next, we walked to the stables for Pegasus riding.

The Pegasi were very beautiful. Their soft, but powerful bodies carried us through the air easily.

I had some difficulty with the riding, but altogether it went pretty well. Besides my feeling that the animals didn't like me for some unknown reason, the ride was enjoyable.

Archery practice was next on our list.

Andromeda Roelle strolled up beside me as we made our way over. "So," She drawled. _Uh oh, _I thought. "You liked sword practice then, new girl?"

I wasn't sure what kind of question that was. "Yeah. It was pretty cool."

She raised her eyebrows. "What else do you like to do?"

"Um… well, I love reading, and I'm pretty good at drawing. My dad is an artist. I think I inherited some of his talent."

"What about shopping? Do you like that?" She asked skeptically.

"Not really." I laughed. "I try to avoid malls as much as possible. My dad always finds my aversion to them mind-boggling."

Andromeda's mouth formed an 'o' of understanding. "Nice talking to you." She said casually. She sped up to talk to some of her buddies who were in a cluster in front of me.

They were all whispering with their heads close together. I heard an occasional giggle. They often threw conspicuous glances at me over their shoulders.

I ignored them.

We met on an open, grassy area near the amphitheater for archery. Chiron had targets set up. I picked up a practice bow and lined up across from a target. Everyone else followed suit. They were somewhat more reluctant than I, however.

Chiron spent a few minutes instructing us on how to hold the bow correctly, and how to draw properly.

Then, he let us take some practice shots.

My first shot went way too high. It missed by at least half a foot. I groaned in disgust at my bad shot, and picked another arrow.

Laying the shaft against the string, I drew back, squinting one eye closed to help me aim. I let the string go with a _twang._ The arrow flew straight at the target, thudding distinctly into the bull's-eye. _Yes! I made it!_

In excitement over my accomplishment, I grabbed another arrow, and shot that one as well. It sank into the straw target right next to the other arrow. By the end of archery practice, I had twenty arrows all planted firmly in the center of the target.

Chiron walked down the line to see how we fared with our shooting. When he reached me, he nodded in approval. "Wonderful, Cassi! You will make a great archer. Be sure to find a bow of your own."

I grinned widely at his admiration. I had thoroughly enjoyed that lesson.

We ate lunch after that.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. I continued to learn the normal routine at Camp Half Blood. We had lessons in monster assault, a chance to scale the rock wall of doom, and beach time with the Nereids.

Chiron came cantering up to me during free time.

"Cassi, your father is here."

I followed him eagerly.

When I reached the top of Half Blood Hill, I spotted my dad standing next to his little, red sports car. My eyes teared up just looking at him. I ran down the side of the hill as fast as I could, and into his arms.

"Dad!" He squeezed me tight in his embrace.  
"Cassi, I missed you so much."

My throat felt tight, so I just nodded in agreement.

He released his hold, and looked me over. "How are you doing, Honey?"

"Great!" I replied truthfully. "I really like Camp Half Blood. We had a game of capture the flag last night, and I killed the Cretan Bull!"

He grinned. "Sounds like you've been busy."

"Yeah! ...... But, Dad," I stopped there, a little apprehensive. "Was Mom…. She was the goddess Aphrodite, wasn't she?"

I watched his face and waited for an answer.

He looked back intently. "Yes. Yes, she was."

I nodded, somewhat disappointed. I had hoped there had been a mistake and my mother might have been a different goddess. "She claimed me right after I killed the bull."

He put a finger under my chin and lifted my head. "Why the long face? Isn't it good to know who your mom is now?"

I half-smiled. "Why didn't you tell me about her in the first place?"

"It was too dangerous. I didn't want you to go to Camp Half Blood so young. Plus, if you knew who you were, you would be even more appetizing to monsters. I was selfish."

I playfully slapped his arm. "That's nothing new."

He laughed, which sounded good to my ears. "Hey! I brought your suitcase. Here it is."

He had packed almost everything I owned in there. I rolled my eyes at him. "Da-ad. You didn't have to bring the whole apartment."

I talked with him for a few more minutes, but eventually, I had to say goodbye. Seeing him leave was hard, but I managed it. I would see him back at home after summer break was over.

I made it back just in time for dinner. I sat with the Aphrodite cabin again and I grew increasingly confused. All of my siblings were so different than I. They were all stuck-up and worried about ruining their image. The girls all liked frilly, pink things and cute boys.

It made me feel a little queasy when I thought about those things.

My brain seemed to run on a totally separate level than theirs. I noticed things they didn't. I listened to our teachers, and didn't care if I got dirty and sweaty.

_Maybe there was a mistake. I don't belong in this cabin. _I was dwelling on these feelings as we walked from the dining pavilion to the campfire in the amphitheater for the nightly sing-along.

Tobias appeared next to me. "Hey Cassi!" I was glad for someone besides the Aphrodite kids to talk to. Or not talk to in the case of my siblings. "Hi Tobi."

"So," he began. "Daughter of Aphrodite, huh?" I nodded, still unsure how I felt about that.

"I didn't expect that, after you killed the Cretan Bull and everything. I mean, Aphrodite isn't exactly a….warrioress."

I nodded miserably.

"I watched your fight with the bull, by the way. It was totally cool!"

"Yeah, and I almost died in the process. I don't see what was so awesome about that. I never want to do it again."

He rolled his eyes. "That was the best game of capture the flag we've had in a long time."

My mind grasped what he had said, and something clicked. He has said very similar words just before the game yesterday. I halted in my tracks, staring wide-eyed at him.

I seized his arm urgently, and dragged him away from the amphitheater. Most of the campers had already sat down anyway, but I wanted to make sure nobody was listening.

I stopped and faced him, hands on my hips. "Did _YOU_ let that bull into camp?" I demanded. He all-out grinned. "Yup! Wasn't it awesome?"

"No!" I shrieked. "Someone could have gotten hurt!"

He protested. "It was only a joke! Don't get so worked up over it!"

"A joke?" I yelled back. "You think that was funny?! I bet that Ares girl who got attacked didn't think it was humorous!"

"Come _ON,_ Cassi. It wasn't that big of a deal!" He rolled his eyes to the heavens, or rather towards Olympus. "I was just having a bit of fun."

I was past angry now. I was totally enraged at him. _How could he be so stupid?_

"You are a jerk. Don't talk to me again." I stormed off.

He ran up to me. "Wait! Cassi! You won't tell Chiron, will you?"

I stopped to glare at him. "Why do you want to know? I thought it wasn't that big of a deal." I replied scathingly. "You don't deserve mercy."

I left him again. I was too upset to go to the sing-along, so I just shut myself in the Aphrodite cabin to let off steam.

I was still pretty upset when all my siblings came pouring back inside after the sing-along.

I climbed into bed and tried to ignore them.

Andromeda marched right up to me. She looked gorgeous, as usual, and angry.

"What are _you_ still doing here, New Girl?" She sneered. Somehow, even sneering, she remained pretty.

"What do you mean? This is my cabin, isn't it?"

She laughed haughtily. Some of the other Aphrodite kids had gathered behind her. They laughed too.

"We thought you might have already figured that you don't belong with us Aphrodite kids and left."

I stood up angrily, fists clenched. "Are you trying to tell me to get out?" I demanded.

She crossed her arms. "Are you just now figuring that out?"

I was sure my ears were emitting steam. "Fine!" I shouted. "I know when I'm not wanted."

I snatched up my messenger bag and suitcase and stomped to the door. Throwing it open, I tossed Andromeda a parting look filled with daggers.

I slammed the door behind me, shaking the walls of the cabin.

I walked, not knowing where I was going. I ended up at the door of Artemis's cabin. It was the only empty cabin, besides Hades' cabin that is.

I plopped my bags down on the deep doorstep.

I leaned up against the wall, curling my legs up close to my chest. Overcome by emotion, I started crying.

Two fights in one night. That was a record for me, I think.

I knew that the Harpies might find me out after curfew, but I didn't care. In fact, I was so miserable I almost wished they would find me.

I cried for a long time, sitting there in front of the cabin of Artemis.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

_I was walking through a forest_. _The birch trees were tall and austere, towering over my head. Moonlight spilled gently through the high branches to the forest floor._

_All was quiet. It was not a menacing silence, though. Instead, the quiet was peaceful. I was completely relaxed as I strolled without a sound across the leaf-covered ground. _

_A bright, blinding flash of silver lit up my vision. I had to look away. _

_When I could see again, a young girl of about twelve stood in front of me. She was dressed in an elegant, but simple gown that seemed to be made of pure moonlight. Her hair was dark and luscious, spilling in a river of mahogany down her back. A circlet of silver rested on her head. She carried a bow and a quiver of silver arrows across her back. _

_She spoke to me. "Why are you on my threshold, Daughter of Aphrodite?" _

_Her voice was mesmerizing and beautiful._

_It was then I realized, I was speaking to the goddess Artemis._

_I knelt in the grass. It seemed like the right thing to do._

"_Please forgive me for intruding. I was just sleeping."_

"_Why do you not sleep in Aphrodite's cabin, where you belong?"_

_I grimaced. "I do not belong there."_

_She walked towards me. "Why do you say that, Cassiopeia?"_

_I hardly noticed that she had used my full name. "She is the goddess of Love. I don't care about that kind of stuff. Why was I not born to Athena, goddess of wisdom? I would fit better there."_

_She smiled sympathetically, and knelt in front of me. "Cassi, you were born to the right goddess. Love is not always what you think it is. You will find that out in time. " _

_I looked at her in confusion, but she stood and backed away. "Take refuge on my doorstep any time you need, Daughter of Aphrodite." _

"_Wait!" I called, stretching my hand out to her. "I have more questions. Don't leave!"_

_Despite my pleas, she vanished in an explosion of silver light._

_I had to look away again, and when I turned back, the forest scene faded._

I woke up on the step of Artemis's cabin, where I had fallen asleep last night. Drowsily, I noticed someone sitting next to me. He was shaking my shoulder, trying to wake me up. It was Leander, the young man who had saved me from the Keres. The guy who had started all this.

I groaned softly and sat up.

"Wakey wakey, sleeping beauty." Leander sang playfully. "What are you doing on the step?"

My neck was stiff from my uncomfortable spot, and there were a few other places on my body that were tingling numbly from sleeping in such a painful position. I rolled my head back and forth to work out the kinks.

"I'm sleeping here. What does it look like?"

He smirked. "I _mean, _why are you sleeping on the step?"

"Oh." I said uncooperatively. Then, I answered seriously. "I don't think I got placed in the right cabin. I'm nothing like the other Aphrodite kids. And they all seem to think the same."

He watched me, his blues eyes sparkling. "You have at least one thing in common with us Aphrodite kids." He said mysteriously.

"What is that?" I didn't think there was a single thing, except that we were all Demi-gods.

"You're every bit as beautiful."

My eyes widened in surprise, and my cheeks heated up in a blush. "What?"

"Well, you are! Have you seen yourself in the mirror anytime recently?" I stared at him. "I thought not." He answered his own question. "I'm not saying this to make you feel better. It's totally true. You have awesome hair. And those violet eyes are killers. What's not to like about you?"

I had never considered myself beautiful. My dad always said I took after my mom, which, now that I thought about it, was a big compliment. She was the goddess of beauty after all.

Leander had successfully cheered me up. "Thanks. Wait, did you just include yourself in the 'kids of Aphrodite' category?"

"Yup!" He answered, like it should have been obvious. "I'm the son of Ares and Aphrodite."

_So, he's a minor god. Interesting._

"Why have I never heard of a god named Leander then?" I teased.

He leaned back casually. "My real name isn't Leander. I just use that one cause I like it better than my true one."

"So, what is your name?" I asked curiously.

"Eros." He stated proudly.

I stared at him blankly.

He groaned and rolled his eyes. "Cupid?" He whispered.

"Oh!" I exclaimed. "You're Cupid?"

He sighed. "Man I hate that imposter." He noted to himself. "No. I'm Eros. Cupid is just what the Romans named me."

"Shall we go to breakfast, Mister Cupid?" I joked.

His face got red. "Don't call me that!"

I climbed to my feet and pushed him along impishly. He tried to move out of the way, but I pushed him again.

He got back at me by scooping me up and flying me over the lake. He hovered over the surface for a second, grinning triumphantly at me.

I took a look down at the water, then back up at his mischievous smile.

"No!" I demanded frantically. "Don't you dare!" He dropped me anyway.

I splashed down in the center of the lake. When I bobbed back to the surface, gasping for air, I saw him watching smugly.

I glared half-heartedly at him, slogging to the shore, where he had landed to wait for me. I lifted a foot to step onto beach, but he shoved me.

I toppled back into the water again, but this time I pulled him in with me. His head popped back above the surface, spluttering. He spat out a lily pad that had managed to get in his mouth. I clambered out of the water quickly, and sprinted towards the dining pavilion, laughing uproariously.

"Why you!" He shouted, and chased after me.

We arrived at breakfast shortly after, out of breath from running and laughing. I was still sopping wet, but oh well. Leander was wet too.

I guess I didn't need to shower today.

I saw Tobi trying to catch my eye when we lined up for our food, but I looked the other way.

After breakfast, I grudgingly joined my cabin for activities. Everybody kept a five foot radius between them and me. I was fine with that, since I liked them about as much as they liked me.

It was a routine day, much like yesterday, except that my dad didn't come today.

Later in the afternoon, just as free time was beginning, I saw Tobi ambling around. He spotted me and started strolling towards me. I marched right up to him.

"I'm not gonna tell Chiron about your stupidity, if that's what you want to know. Remember, I'm still not talking to you." I sauntered away from him, arms crossed, even though I saw him trying to say something to me.

I spotted Leander across the way, so I went right up to him.

"Afternoon, Cupid." I greeted him.

He punched my arm. Not hard though. "Hi, Hobo-girl."

"Hobo-girl? What kind of a nickname is that?" I laughed.

He grinned right back and answered smartly. "It fits perfectly! I did find you helping yourself to Artemis's front step. So, you're like a hobo. Get it?"

"You need more work on your nicknames." I told him. "Anyway, I wasn't dishonoring Artemis. She told me I could sleep there whenever I wanted."

He looked at me strangely. "When did you meet Artemis?"

"I dreamed about her. Is that weird?" I queried anxiously.

"Not really." He said, shaking his head. "A lot of half-bloods have prophetic dreams and visions and stuff."

"Oh good." I mumbled, relieved. "I thought it might be something strange."

He chortled. "And being a Demi-god isn't strange?"

I laughed. It felt pretty good to laugh. "Well, when you put it _that _way."

"So, what do you want to do for free time?" He changed the subject.

"Anything, as long as it doesn't involve falling in the lake." I recalled that morning's teasing session and the following bath.

He laughed so hard, he had to stop walking. "You….you…looked so…..hilarious all….wet! Like a….drowned rat!" He managed to gasp out between guffaws.

"Yeah, yeah. Hilarious." I muttered. "Come on. Let's go practice some archery!"

He followed me, but our walk was punctuated by chuckling fits from him.

We spent quite some time shooting with the practice bows. Since he was Cupid, Leander was a great shot.

"Bet you can't hit that heart over there!" Leander challenged. He pointed to a tree that had a carved heart on the trunk. You know. The traditional heart with two names and an arrow through it. Disgusting.

"Yeah, right. If I hit it, you have to….." I tried to think of a good punishment. "Give me your bow!" I decided, remembering how Chiron had recommended having one of my own.

He grinned. "You're on!"

I lined myself up with the tree, placing a good arrow on the string. Squinting one eye, I drew back and aimed carefully. I let the arrow fly.

It hit the tree, and we both ran over excitedly to see the result.

The point of the arrow had landed dead center in the middle of the heart. A perfect shot, if I do say so myself.

"There! I hit it. Hand over the prize." I held out my hand expectantly.

"That was a lucky shot!" He protested. "I'm not giving it to you."

I huffed. "If I hit the target again, will you be satisfied?"

He nodded.

I went back to my spot and aimed.

Leander grabbed my elbow and pulled me back another ten feet.

"You have to shoot from here this time."

"What?!" I yelped. "Here? That's impossible!"

He grinned. "Guess you don't win the bet then."

I set my jaw in determination, and took aim once again.

I let the string go, sending the arrow whizzing through the air.

Leander ran forward to see where the arrow had hit. I followed closely. I had lodged the arrow in the exact same spot as my first shot, directly in the groove the tip of the first arrow had left as I pulled it out.

I cackled. "There! You see? I win!"

He stared at me in shock. "You're almost better than I am!" He exclaimed. He held out the bow to me. "Here you go. You deserve this."

I took it a bit smugly from him.

The bow was truly stunning. It was gold and had Greek symbols written decoratively on the sides. There was also a matching quiver that had magic arrows to ensure that the owner never ran out.

I tried a practice shot with my new weapon. It was wonderful. The bow was so easy to shoot and it responded beautifully. The arrow I had shot disappeared from the target, and returned to the quiver. I grinned in utter contentment.

"Oh, don't worry, Cassi." Leander said sarcastically. "I won't be hopeless without my bow. I was happy to give it to you. I can just ask my mother for a new one."

I rolled my eyes at his poor sportsmanship.

A loud yell interrupted our bantering. One of the Apollo campers raced past us, calling for Chiron.

"What's happening?" We asked him.

He was out of breath and in a hurry. "Hermes is here. Looking for Chiron. Something bad is happening."

The boy raced off again.

Leander and I looked at each other, and then bolted after him.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

We clattered up the front steps in Chiron's wake. The centaur burst through the doors of the Big House urgently.

A tall, athletic looking guy stood impatiently in the center of the room. He wore running shorts and carried a cell phone. I guessed this was Hermes, god of messengers.

He was blond with blue eyes. Totally gorgeous of course, like all the gods. I was coming to expect that now.

He nodded at Chiron, who bowed slightly. They disappeared into the room next door.

A few other kids had followed Chiron, so we all made ourselves comfortable. As much as we could, that is. We still had no clue what was going on.

A few tense minutes later, Chiron reappeared from the next room. "Leander," Chiron addressed him. "Emergency meeting in the amphitheater. Immediately. Everyone is required to come. Spread the word."

Leander sprang up and zoomed out the door, taking off into the air once he was outside to do what Chiron had asked.

"Someone go wake up Dionysus!" Called the centaur.

_Who is Dionysus?_ _Does he mean the god Dionysus? He's here and I wasn't aware of it?_

A boy from the Hephaestus cabin, I think, went to find Dionysus, while the remaining kids trailed after Chiron as he cantered to the amphitheater.

I took a seat once we got there. Campers poured in, filling up the rows quickly.

To my dismay, Tobi walked in. Locking eyes with me, he began making his way towards the spot where I sat, alone.

I got up hurriedly and tried to push through the crowded area in an attempt to lose him.

A hand grabbed my elbow, however, and I knew that I had failed to get away.

"Cassi!" He hissed into my ear. "Stop running from me! I'm just trying to talk to you. You're acting like I have the plague or something."

I yanked my arm from his grasp and opened my mouth to reply, but Chiron's voice boomed out over the heads of all the kids.

"Please, everyone. Find a place and quiet down!"

Tobi's hand on my shoulder shoved me into a seat, and he squeezed in next to me.

I scooted as far as possible from him, but it was hard to, due to the cramped amphitheater.

I could see Chiron in the center of the stage.

A decrepit looking man in tiger-striped pants slouched at the back of the stage, looking like he was about to fall asleep. _That must be Dionysus. _

Rachel Dare, the woman I had eaten lunch with on my first day, was also present.

"Everyone!" Chiron called. His voice carried over the many rows of people packed in to listen to him. "I have received bad news from the gods. Such horrible tidings bring with it the need to begin a quest. I will tell you all the circumstances, then I would like cabin leaders to meet at the Big House to make some decisions."

Wondering whispers broke out in the theater. _What was going on? Who would be picked to go on the quest? _

"The Giants on the island of Nisii, and the people of the neighboring island of Atlantis have declared a war."

Gasps rolled across the crowd. "War?" Everyone was whispering.

My ADHD mind was still stuck on the part about 'giants' and 'Atlantis'.

"Boreas has placed himself on the giants' side. Of course, the Nereids are on Atlantis's side. We still aren't sure why they are so upset with each other." Chiron slapped his palms together. "No need to say, this war could be disastrous to all that live near the two islands. Angry giants can cause some major damage." He began clopping towards the exit. "Now, cabin counselors, if you would follow me."

Suddenly, Rachel, who was further back on the stage, went stiff. Her eyes glowed luminescent green. I mean, really glowed. Like I-could-see-it-from-all-the-way-across-the-amphitheater glowed. Her mouth opened involuntarily and green mist billowed around her.

When she spoke, her voice vibrated and echoed, giving the illusion that there was more than one person speaking.

"Four shall go, a war to stop their aim.

Daughter of Love shall lead, constellation by name,

Son of war and peace by her side.

Third member, seed of enemies united.

An unknown shall be the last,

Given into the hands of Lives Past.

East they shall travel to the end,

The ocean to destroy or mend."

The echoes of her voice died away while everyone stared at her in amazement.

The green glow in Rachel's eyes faded, and she stumbled. Shaking her head, the woman noticed everyone staring at her.

Chiron clattered back across the stage to her side.

"It seems that you are turning out to be much more eloquent than our last Oracle, Rachel." The centaur chuckled. He turned to face the crowd of campers. "Well everyone, you heard the prophecy. We need four people for our quest."

He stood silently for a long few minutes, thinking. Nobody from the crowd made any noise either. Finally, Chiron raised his head. "Andromeda Roelle, please come down here. I believe you are the 'Daughter of Love' that Rachel spoke of. Your mother is Aphrodite, the goddess of love, and you share a name with the constellation Andromeda."

The blond girl whom Chiron was addressing extracted herself from her tight-knit group of friends, and picked her way down to the stage.  
She joined the centaur and planted herself by him proudly, in plain view of everyone.

"Chiron?" A person, I couldn't tell who, called. "The next member is Leander. He is the son of Ares, god of war, and Aphrodite, goddess of love."

The centaur smiled gratefully to the camper. "Leander, you may join us on the stage."

The boy flew over the heads of the gathered campers to stand next to Andromeda.

The amphitheater was quiet as a graveyard for a long time. Nobody spoke. Nobody moved.

Next to me, Tobi shifted in his seat. Hesitantly, he raised his hand. "Chiron?" He called. "I'm pretty sure I'm the third member. My dad was a son of Poseidon and my mom was a daughter of Athena. Poseidon and Athena don't get along too well, as you know. So, I'm the seed of enemies united."

Chiron nodded thoughtfully, and then motioned Tobi to come down to the stage too. He did.

"You three," Chiron addressed the campers who had been called to the front. "Follow me to the Big House, where we will discuss the quest."

The four of them began to climb down from the stage, but one of the Demeter kids prevented their exit by asking: "What about the fourth member?"

Chiron turned back and smiled mysteriously. "Why, as Rachel said, the fourth person is unknown. Therefore, we cannot decide who it is. I suggest we leave that up to the Fates."

This time, he turned and left without any interruptions. Andromeda, Tobi, and Leander followed him, along with Rachel, and Dionysus.

The rest of us were left to make our way to the dining pavilion for dinner.

It wasn't a very exciting dinner.

As was ritual, I waited for my turn at the hearth fire. When I did get up there, I scraped a large portion of tonight's dinner into the flames. I thought in my mind: "That's for you, Artemis. Thanks for your hospitality. I might be taking you up on that offer of staying on your doorstep anytime I need sometime in the very near future."

I strolled to my table. "A little more explaining about what you meant by 'Love is not always what you think it is' might be helpful." I added silently to myself.

I got no answer, of course.

I sat by myself at the end of the table, trying to ignore the teasing and gibes thrown at me by my Aphrodite siblings.

Thankfully, there wasn't much pestering tonight. They were all too busy chattering about the quest.

In short order, dinner was over. We skipped our usual bonfire that night, opting instead to go right to sleep.

I wandered dejectedly back to the Artemis cabin. My suitcase and messenger bag still sagged sadly on the porch, where I had left them that morning. I trudged up the step and slid down to the wooden floorboards.

Don't ask me how, cause I certainly wasn't in any way comfortable, but I fell asleep.

And inevitably, with my sleep came wacky dreams.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

_Black flames licked at the edges of my vision, flickering and dancing, phantom-like. A room that seemed to be built out of human bones surrounded me. Everything was shadowy and in descript. A huge, booming voice ricocheted off the walls and vibrated in my ears._

"_You will do this thing that I have asked of you, will you not?" _

_I couldn't tell where the voice was coming from, nor could I see anybody else in the room with me. The deep shadows made it hard to see anything. _

"_Yes. We will do what you have requested." Another, different, lighter voice answered. "For the sum mentioned before."_

"_Ah, yes. The sum." The rumbling voice breathed. The words hissed through the speaker's teeth, sending shivers scraping down my spine._

_A boom, like a person slamming their palm against a table-top, echoed loudly around the room. _

"_It is agreed! Do not fail me. She is mine! Now go!"_

_The voice faded away, but I could still hear the echo of what it had said. "She is mine!"_

_The scene shifted, throwing me totally off kilter. _

_I was lying on a beach. The hot, tropical sun blazed down on me, making it hard to see. Crystal blue waves tickled my toes and a gentle breeze played in my curls._

_I sat up, relishing the paradise. _

_A small dot in the distance, on the ocean, drew my attention._

_It was large, but I couldn't make out what it was. _

_Digging my bare feet into the sand, I stood to get a better look. _

_The speck was moving closer at great speed. I still couldn't quite decide what it was, but it looked somehow…..human._

_All of a sudden, I could see what the shape was. A large, leering face towered over the beach. _

_A gigantic, bulky body loomed, casting his shadow across the sand and me. _

_There, surging through the waves, was a giant._

_He laughed wickedly and leaped. His powerful legs launched him very high in the air. His feet were easily twice the size of me. _

_One of those large feet was about to crush me. His jeering guffaws rang in my ears as everything around me was enveloped in blackness._

Gasping, I sat up, whacking my forehead on something hard. I rubbed it, groaning, and tried to get my sleepy eyes to focus.

The object that I had hit was the railing on the steps where I had been sleeping.

_What a way to start the morning._ I had only been awake for less than a minute, and I was already in a bad mood. _Great. Just great._

Grumpily, I got up and stalked to the bathroom to shower and get dressed. When the teasing Aphrodite girls started into their insults, as I had expected they would, I snapped at them. "Leave me alone will you!"

I slammed the door a bit harder than needed when I left.

Dumping my bag back on the steps of the Artemis cabin, I shoved my hands into the pockets of my jean shorts and headed to breakfast.

As was becoming my routine, I sat as far as possible from the rest of the Aphrodite table, and moodily pushed my breakfast around on my plate.

Chiron stood at the end of the meal to announce the departure of the three quest members.

I found myself next to Leander as we all streamed out of the dining pavilion. "Morning, Hobo-girl." He greeted me, laughter playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Morning, Cupid." I threw back, unsmiling.

He stared at me in confusion. "Looks like someone woke up on the wrong side of bed."

"That's not true." I groaned in response. "It was a porch step, not a bed."

He chortled at my sassy reply, which made me smile. He never failed to make me feel better.

"So, today's the big day." I commented. "When do you all leave?"

Leander did a small hop-skip. "Right now. I'm headed to the Big House. Chiron is letting us drive the camp van."

I offered to walk him up to the Big House to see them off.

Andromeda, Chiron, Rachel and Dionysus were already gathered on the front porch. Three large bags were packed and lying in a pile, waiting to be loaded in the van.

Argus, the official (and huge) camp chauffer and watchman, came out of the Big House and shouldered two of the bags.

I guess I didn't mention this before, but Argus has over a hundred eyes that cover just about every square inch of his body. It was kinda unnerving to watch him move, trust me.

They all were waiting for the last member of their team, Tobi, who was late. I wasn't surprised.

Five minutes later, he came sauntering across the grass, looking relaxed and unaware that he was being so utterly annoying. As usual.

I saw Andromeda roll her eyes as Tobi joined the group with a 'Sup?' _My feelings exactly, girl. _

"Now that everyone is_ finally_ here," Chiron began, throwing a casual rebuke in Tobi's direction. "We can leave. The van is waiting just outside the border."

I bid Leander farewell, hugging him fondly. I gave Andromeda a good-luck smile, and completely ignored Tobi, which was pretty generous.

The group picked up their luggage and began trekking up Half Blood Hill.

I was too out of sorts to join in any activities at the moment. I was still troubled by the dreams I had last night. Whenever there was a quiet moment, I heard the menacing whisper. "She is mine!" It made me shiver, and I wondered who the speaker was and who they were talking about.

Instead of going to sword and shield practice, I took a walk. I followed along the border around the camp. I was just about to the big pine tree atop Half Blood Hill, where Peleus the dragon was curled around the trunk, sleeping. I walked with my head down, deep in thought, watching my feet. I didn't notice three people approaching, but a snapping twig made me look up. Before me stood two girls and a guy from the Aphrodite cabin. My siblings.

They were smirking threateningly at me. One of the girls, Bethany, I think her name was, purred. "Well, New Girl, what are you doing?"

I sighed. _Man, why can't they leave me alone?_ "Just walking. Go away." I was about to stomp away, but I noticed the boy holding my suitcase and my messenger bag. _Strange._

"What are you doing with my stuff?" I demanded, turning back, fists clenched. They couldn't be up to any good.

Bethany spoke again. "We're only trying to help you, New Girl. I know Andromeda would love to do this if she was here, but she's not!" She shrugged happily, a maniacal smile spreading across her face. "Do what, exactly?" I asked, stepping back nervously.

"Help you leave, of course!" The other girl broke in.

_Help me leave? What is going on?_

The boy almost skipped to the border in his joy. He dangled my bag by the strap tauntingly, then threw it as hard as he could. It flew over the camp boundary, landing in a heap and spilling its contents on the grass. My suitcase soon followed.

"Hey!" I shouted at him, stomping forward to retrieve it.

Bethany and her sister grabbed my arms.

_What __**are**__ they doing?_

"So, you understand of course," Bethany giggled. "That you just don't belong. You're a disgrace to our mother, and the rest of her children. You're giving us a bad name! No hard feelings, but you've simply got to go!"

She gave up her hold on my arm so that her brother could take her spot. Waving perkily to me, she said: "Bon voyage!"

What they did next was so unexpected, I couldn't even protest. My two siblings flung me across the border, just as they had my luggage.

I tumbled to the ground, landing face-first and eating a mouthful of dirt. I pushed myself off the grass, spitting out the nasty snack. Bethany and the other two's jeering laughter rang humiliatingly in my ears.

The trio flounced out of sight, still cackling at their malicious joke.

I slowly stood and picked my spilled things off the ground. Shouldering the bag, I headed miserably back towards the pine tree.

Peleus the giant serpent awoke. His huge, beady eyes glared at me. It was slightly creepy, but I kept trudging along.

When I got close however, he unwrapped his body from around the tree and blocked my path, snorting a giant puff of smoke into my face.

If you have never stared a full-grown dragon in the face, take some advice from me. Don't.

"It's ok, Peleus." I crooned calmingly. "You know me. I'm not an enemy. I'm just a normal Half Blood. Just going back to camp."

I had forgotten an important fact, however. Peleus didn't know me. He had been asleep when I came.

He blew a burst of flame from his mouth, setting the grass in front of me on fire. I stumbled back just in time not to get burned.

"Come on, you stupid lizard!" I yelled at him. "I am not a threat!"

The 'stupid lizard' didn't help to improve his feelings toward me any. He growled angrily, spitting a few licks of flame from between his gigantic teeth.

I was beginning to get slightly annoyed at how my day was going. Actually, I was WAY beyond annoyed. I was downright enraged. I had had two disturbing dreams that I was still worried about, taken my regular share of teasing, said goodbye to my only friend at this camp, gotten quite rudely shown that I wasn't welcome at the only place I felt normal, and now the dragon guarding that place wouldn't let me in either!

I roared right back at the dragon and charged, intending to streak past him.

Nothing doing.

Before I knew it, Peleus had swung his massive tail into me. I was flying through the air for the second time in a very short five minutes. _Darn. That plan didn't turn out too well. _

I landed hard, but slammed into something soft. My head cracked backwards, and I blacked out.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

I came around slowly. My head ached with a dull throbbing, and every time I took a breath, my ribs pinched painfully.

I opened my eyes groggily. Light from the sun filled my vision, and I closed them again, groaning as the brightness sent spears of pain into my brain.

"She's waking up," a voice noted above me.

I slowly raised my eyelids again, shading them from the light with my hand.

Chiron was bent over me, smiling benevolently. Rachel, Dionysus, Andromeda, Tobi, and Leander were all circled around me too, watching anxiously.

All except Dionysus, I mean. He wasn't watching anxiously at all. He looked a little amused actually.

"I believe we have our fourth quest member," Chiron stated, still grinning at me.

I sat up quickly.

Bad idea.

Pain punched me in the lungs and head, greater than it had been. I groaned and fell back against the luggage that I had happened, so conveniently to land on.

Rachel knelt next to me and laid a cool hand on my forehead. "Are you okay, Cassi?"

I shook my head, which hurt a lot. "I think I broke a rib and my head is killing me."

Her face scrunched together worriedly, but I looked to Chiron. "What did you mean 'we have our fourth quest member'?"

He gestured to Rachel. "As our own Oracle spoke in the prophecy 'An unknown shall be the last'. You are that 'unknown'. I suggested we leave it up to the Fates, and here you are."

_Wonderful. But that's just how my day was going._

. -^- .

Even though I wasn't too excited about being part of the quest, I ended up in the van with Andromeda, Tobi, and Leander, who was driving.

I thought he looked suspiciously young to be driving, but he told me he'd been driving for centuries. So, that put me at ease. A little.

Andromeda climbed into the huge trunk, where I was lounging atop the squishy bags. She helped me sit up and wrapped my ribs tightly with some bandages from the first aid kit.

I didn't want to admit it, but she was pretty gentle and did her job well. She wasn't too cheerful about her assignment however.

I fell asleep and when I awoke again, my head felt much, much better.

I gingerly sat up, going easy on my cracked rib.

"Where exactly are we headed?" I asked to no one in particular.

Leander answered. "Not exactly sure yet. We know that Atlantis is in the Strait of Gibraltar. Chiron says he has a friend who might lend us a boat."

I nodded in understanding. "How are we supposed to stop this war anyway?" It was all very confusing to me. We were sent to stop a war between some Giants and people who lived on the imaginary island of Atlantis. Well, at least, I had thought it was imaginary, until now.

"We have to get to Atlantis and somehow convince the two islands to stop fighting. Chiron left most of the details to us to figure out."

Andromeda interrupted Leander then. "I've been thinking. I believe we should find Boreas, the North Wind. He's on the Giants' side. Maybe we can get him to drop out of the war."

"Makes sense," agreed Leander.

"But where do we find him?" Tobi spoke for the first time.

We all shrugged. "I think I know," Leander mused. We all stared at him in amazement. "What?" He asked. "I'm a god, if you remember. I know _some _things."

"So," Andromeda drawled. "Where exactly do you have in mind?"

"Minnesota," Leander said. "Lake Superior in particular. It's freezing cold, windy, and has high cliffs. It's paradise for Boreas."

So, we changed directions, heading toward Minnesota.

We drove for most of the day, stopping only for short, necessary breaks.

Our shortness in cash caused us to park in a field for the night, rather than staying at a hotel.

The empty, rural stretch of road stretched forever in either direction. Hardly any cars passed us, so we figured we would be pretty safe.

We unloaded our luggage. Extracting four sleeping bags from the trunk, we unrolled them, arranging them in a circle.

After setting a watch schedule, each of us climbed into our sleeping rolls.

Tobi was first on watch.

I lay on my back in my warm sleeping bag, hands behind my head.

The night air was cool, but plenty warm, and a slight breeze fluttered around us.

Brilliant stars twinkled above me in the velvety blackness.

I sighed in contentment, but my broken rib poked painfully at my side, reminding me of its presence.

It grew very quiet around our temporary campsite. Leander and Andromeda were sleeping already, their breath coming in slow, heavy sighs.

I felt kinda guilty, watching Tobi by himself. I had been pretty hard on him the last couple days about the whole bull situation, and I knew it.

I impulsively decided to go over and sit by him.

He glanced in my direction as I seated myself on the ground next to him, but he went back to watching the stars without a word to me.

"Look, Tobi," I began. "I don't want us to be mad at each other."

"Then don't expect me to be the perfect hero," he burst out bitterly.

"I don't expect you to," I told him truthfully.

I looked at me in shock. "You don't?"

"Nope," I said, making a small popping noise on the 'p'. "I don't expect or want you to be the exact copy of your father or your mother. I just expect you to be a 'good guy'." I gestured quotation marks with my fingers. "Letting the bull into camp was foolish and dangerous," I continued. "But I don't think you did it to hurt anyone. You're a nice young man, Tobi. Don't become bitter because everyone thinks you should live up to your dad's deeds. Be your own person and show them that you're worthy of the title 'hero'."

He smiled gratefully to me. "Thanks, Cassi. I don't think anyone has ever told me to be my own person. They're always like 'Live up to your father's legacy' or 'remember how great your parents were'. I hate that."

"I would too," I agreed. "I don't even know what your dad did that was so great," I commented.

"You don't?" His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You haven't asked anyone else from camp?"

"I haven't. I wanted to wait until you trusted me enough to tell me."

He grinned in appreciation. He then proceeded to tell me all about his father, Perseus, who had defeated tons of monsters, saved Camp Half Blood a couple dozen times, traveled to the Underworld and back twice without dying, and most importantly, saved the world from the Titan lord Kronos.

At the end of his story, I sat in silent amazement at the heroics of his father. His mother, Annabeth, wasn't half bad either. She had been with Percy on most of his adventures.

"Now you'll be like all the other kids," Tobi grumbled. "Go ahead. Go ga-ga over all his wonderful, brave accomplishments."

I studied Tobi silently for a few moments. "He was pretty cool," I admitted, and Tobi glowered. "But I think you could far outstrip anything he did. I'll be waiting anxiously for your first act of heroism," I teased.

He smiled in relief at my making light of the situation.

I went to sleep that night, happy in my successful evening of reconciliation.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

The next morning, we all groggily unzipped our sleeping bags and had a quick breakfast.

Piling back into our roomy van, we resumed traveling.

After a couple hours of driving, we stopped for a few minutes at a roadside rest stop. It was the first one we had seen in about two hours, so we had to stop.

Tobi and I were pacing back and forth on the sidewalk in front of the building to stretch our legs. Getting out of the van felt amazing to my restless limbs.

"I've been thinking Cassi," Tobi broke the silence.

"Have you now?" I asked teasingly.

He didn't seem to notice my jest, but continued studying the cracks in the sidewalk. "I'm worried about the line in the prophecy that says 'An unknown shall be the last, given into the hands of Lives Past'."

I wasn't feeling so light-hearted anymore. In fact, I had been thinking about that same thing. "I know."

I elaborated. "I was that 'unknown', so that part of the prophecy is talking about me, but I have no idea what it might mean."

Tobi nodded in agreement.

We were interrupted by a yell from the woods. It sounded like Andromeda screaming.

I threw a glance at Tobi. He mirrored my surprised look.

_What was Andromeda doing in the woods? She and Leander were inside, last I knew._

I reached for my sword, Antigone, and Tobi unsheathed his sword. They had been strapped to our sides for the whole trip so far. You never knew what you were going to run into.

The two of us raced into the trees toward where we had heard the scream coming from.

"Help!" Leander's voice echoed through the forest. "Please! Somebody help!"

Tobi and I ran even faster in our urgency to reach our traveling partners in distress.

Bursting into a clearing, we stopped short in total shock.

An eight foot tall beast stood there. It was shaped similarly to a donkey, but had a lion's mane and tail. A wide, horrible mouth filled with sharp teeth foamed terrifyingly.

Neither Leander nor Andromeda was anywhere in sight. There was absolutely no sign of them.

"Oh, please help!" Andromeda's voice seemed to be coming from the _**monster**_. _Creepy monster!_

As one, Tobi and I whirled and retraced our steps as quickly as our legs would carry us.

The crashing of underbrush warned us that the beast was following.

I mentally kicked myself for not having my bow strapped to my back.

We didn't waste breath by talking, but instead, just dashed frantically around obstructions.

As we burst out of the line of trees, I spotted Leander and Andromeda standing on the sidewalk.

Leander's mouth fell open and he pointed behind us. "Leucrocuta incoming!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.

"We know! We know!" I called back helpfully.

Together, Tobi and I turned to face the charging monster.

The Leucrocuta thundered across the grass, shattering picnic tables and benches. The creature was definitely after us. The horrid thing smelled Half Bloods. And it wanted lunch.

"Yaaaaaaaaaah!" Tobi yelled, as he ran straight at the beast.

I followed with a similar scream, but mine was more terrified than his war cry.

Our charge didn't deter the Leucrocuta's charge one smidgen.

Tobi dove left, and I rolled right, out of the way of the beast's cloven hooves.

Leander whipped out his new bow, and leaped into the air. He shot rapid fire at the creature's head. The arrows didn't do much damage. Mr. Leucrocuta seemed to get more frenzied. _Or is it a Mrs. Leucrocuta? How do you tell a monster's gender, anyway? _

The beast faced Tobi and me again, shrieking in its fury. The creature rushed forward a second time, intent on smashing my poor, little, insignificant self to pieces.

What do you do when an eight foot monster is charging right at you?

Let me tell you. You don't stand your ground, that's for sure_._

I turned to the side again and Tobi turned the other way. This time, however, we both got a good rake at the monster's sides with our blades.

Unfortunately for us, the animal monsters don't explode into a pile of dust when stabbed with Celestial bronze weapons. Only the humanoid monsters did that. _Drat._

The creature returned quickly, only knocking over a _couple _trees in its eagerness to kill us all.

Leander swooped by, close to the beast's head, and sent an arrow hurtling into its monstrous eye.

It threw its head backwards, bellowing in pain at the sky.

Tobi and I both slashed at the creature's legs as it distractedly raced past us.

The monster recovered fast, although its left eye, where Leander had shot it, didn't seem to be functioning anymore.

I bet you can guess why.

Andromeda, who so far hadn't participated much in our monster fight, grabbed hold of the creature's thrashing tail as it turned.

_Genius Andromeda. Real smart._

The Aphrodite girl dug her feet into the ground in an attempt to slow the beast down. It didn't work too well. The beast flung Andromeda easily off his body with one powerful heave of its tail. The girl was airborne for a few long moments, but crashed into a tree trunk and didn't get up again.

This fight was not going as well as the one with the bull had. _Now what?_

I searched hysterically around the rest stop parking lot for something, _anything_ to stop the beast.

Suddenly, I had an idea.

I raced through the glass doors of the building.

With one smash of my sword, I freed the fire extinguisher from its case on the wall.

Charging back outside, I ran to the middle of the, thankfully, empty parking lot. I yelled to get the creature's attention.

"Hey you! I'm over here! Leave my friends alone!"

It helped that the Leucrocuta was already headed my way.

I held the fire extinguisher in front of me with both hands. When the beast drew close enough, I sprayed the contents of the can into the creature's face.

Miraculously, the monster started slowing down. The wounds, and not being able to see, combined were slowly getting to him.

I sprayed more fire extinguisher muck into his face.

Tobi raced to my side. He swung his sword at the Leucrocuta's neck, slicing through it with a sickening crunch.

The beast fell over, dead. Then, the Leucrocuta disintegrated into dust. _Finally_!

Tobi limped over to me. "You alright?" He asked, concerned.

"Just fine." I replied. "Why wouldn't I be ok? We only got attacked by an eight foot monster." I joked.

"Are you hurt?" I asked, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Not bad." Tobi responded. "He just barely clipped my side."

Even though he said it wasn't bad, I could see some blood soaking through his shirt.

Leander alighted on the ground next to us. He looked unhurt. I addressed Tobi. "I'll fix you up in a bit, but I think Andromeda is the most pressing injury at the moment."

Turning, I jogged over to where Andromeda lay in a heap at the base of a tree. She was unconscious.

Tobi and Leander followed me.

Leander knelt beside the girl.

"I'll grab some water. Be right back." I said. I spun and went back inside the rest stop building.

The manager was nowhere to be seen. Personally, I would have run away too if I had seen a monster attacking four kids outside my rest stop.

I bought a water bottle from one of the vending machines and pushed back through the doors.

Kneeling beside Andromeda, I uncapped the water bottle. I tilted that bottle slightly, trickling a tiny bit of the liquid into her mouth.

She coughed, and her eyelids fluttered open. She moaned.

"Welcome back," I teased. "How do you feel?"

Andromeda moaned again, but then articulated a bit better. "Not so great. What happened?"

Leander told her about the fight with the Leucrocuta.

"We should get moving," Tobi said nervously. "There might be another monster nearby."

I reached for Andromeda's hand to help her up.

She got up, but with a cry of pain, she fell back, clutching her ankle.

"I – I can't put weight on it," she cried.

Leander and Tobi each drew one of her arms across their shoulders, supporting her.

She limped between them to the van, which was amazingly still intact, in the parking lot.

When we had loaded back up and gotten on the road, I wrapped Andromeda's ankle.

"I guess we're even now," I smiled at her, referring to when she had wrapped my ribs.

The ribs are still painful. Just in case you're wondering.

Andromeda smiled painfully back, then reclined in the seat.

Pretty soon she was asleep.

We drove for the rest of the day, fortunately not running in to any more monsters.

Again, we camped out under the stars.

The next morning, we got started again. It was pretty boring.

Eventually, however, Leander told us we had passed the Minnesota border. Now we only had about five hours of travel left.

_Whoopee._

Finally, _**finally**_, we made it to the North Shore.

The only problem was: it was pouring rain. That made it a bit hard to search for Boreas.

_Scratch that off our list of stuff to do tonight. _

We had to content ourselves with sleeping in the van until the rain stopped.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

The next morning, I slid the van door open and poked my head out.

It wasn't raining anymore. Actually, it was bright and sunny.

I inhaled deeply.

_Ah. Fresh air._

We spilled out of the van one by one to stand happily on the rocky shore.

"All right," Leander clapped his hands together. "Search time."

Andromeda, Tobi, and I stared blankly at the young man with wings.

"What _exactly_ are we looking for?" I asked, since I had no clue.

"Oh yeah," Leander rubbed his chin. "I forgot that you guys wouldn't know."

Tobi rolled his eyes. Andromeda and I giggled.

"If I remember right, Boreas has a palace somewhere on the North Shore. It's called Enbane."

"Oh boy. And the North Shore is like, how many miles long?" I scoffed.

Leander ignored my snide remark. "Let's get going!"

We reluctantly trudged down the beach. Andromeda went with Leander, and Tobi and I were partners.

Both of us struggled over the rocky terrain.

"You'd think we would be able to see a darn _**palace**_ if it were here," Tobi grumbled.

I groaned in agreement.

We spent the rest of the morning in an unfruitful, and very, very annoying, search for the palace Enbane.

.-^-.

"Uuuugh," I moaned, falling flat on my back on the sandy beach.

"My feelings exactly," Tobi grumbled, imitating my movement.

Andromeda collapsed dramatically next to us.

Leander fluttered his wings cheerfully. "Come on you lazy bums, a quick lunch and then back to the search!"

He was altogether w_ay_ too excited about the hunt for Enbane.

The three of us moaned a chorus of disapproval.

We had met on a stretch of beach that was actually sandy, rather than rocky. It was one of the only ones like it for miles around. Most of the beaches on the North Shore are rocky.

Eventually, we did finish lunch and jumped back into the game of hide-and-go-seek-with-a-palace.

The four of us stuck together this time, however. We had scoured most of the beach-y parts close by, so we went for the more grueling part: scaling the cliffs so we could search there.

The rocky, uneven environment made hard going. I was exhausted very, very fast.

An hour or two later, I was about to throw myself off the edge of the cliff and into the water rather than spend one more minute searching.

A cry of triumph caused my head to jerk up in excitement.

"I found something!" Andromeda sounded truly excited.

We all rushed over to where she was studying a sheer rock wall.

"Look," she cried, pointing to something in the stone face.

I looked closer, and saw something inscribed in the rock.

It said:

"Seekers of Enbane,

Must search in vain.

It is not reachable from the ground.

It is found where birds abound.

Searchers must take a leap of faith,

Or never find the palace-wraith."

"What in the world?" Tobi burst out.

"I know," I agreed. "Whoever wrote that really stinks at poetry."

Leander looked confused. "I don't get it. We aren't looking for a palace ghost. We're looking for Enbane."

Andromeda sighed heavily. "Not palace ghost. Palace _wraith_ or the wraith palace. Meaning the palace that can't be seen."

"Aaaahhh." I could almost see the light-bulb illuminate above Leander's head.

"So, what does the rest mean?" Tobi asked Andromeda.

She shrugged. "I have no idea."

"Oh, boy," I heaved a sigh. "This is going to be fun."

The four of us sat with our eyes trained on the poem inscribed in the rock as if it would suddenly tell us the answer.

It didn't.

An idea flashed into my brain. A wild, crazy, utterly insane idea, but an idea all the same.

I stood and paced to the cliff's edge. The rock on either side of me rose straight up, reaching for the sky. A few feet up, it began to tilt inward…. Almost like a doorway.

I laughed to myself. _Leap of faith, here I come._

I turned back to face the others. Their eyes were focused on me, but they were deep in thought, not really seeing me at all.

I waved perkily, lifted a foot off the rocky ground, and leaped backwards into the open air.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

I practically rolled with suppressed laughter at the looks on my friends' faces.

"Why would she jump?" Leander asked.

"Where is she? Do you see her?" Andromeda demanded frantically, scouring the rocky shore below with her eyes.

"She couldn't have fallen so fast!" Tobi yelped.

"Why did she jump in the first place?" Leander inquired again.

If you haven't figured it out by now, I didn't fall. In fact, I had known I wouldn't. Ok. Maybe not _known_, but suspected that I wouldn't fall. Suspicion mixed with a very large dose of sincere hope.

I was in the palace of Enbane, which just so happens to be invisible unless you're in it.

The poem had said that Enbane could be found where birds abound and that I had to take a leap of faith to find the palace wraith. Naturally, I had taken that seriously. When I had seen the door-shaped cliff, I knew. So, I had jumped. Thankfully, my little assumption had been correct. Or else I would be dead at the moment.

I allowed the trio to have a few more panicked moments. Then, I stuck my head out and waved perkily to them. "Yoo-hoo!"

All three heads snapped up to look at me. All three mouths dropped open in shock. All three yelled my name at the top of their lungs.

I ducked back inside to avoid another laugh attack.

Leander popped inside momentarily, followed by Andromeda and Tobi. Leander socked me on the shoulder, but he was smiling at my little joke.

Andromeda rolled her eyes, then turned her attention to the palace that we had just entered.

Tobi just glared at me. And he wasn't smiling.

I ignored him. As usual.

All around us, pristine white and gold marble columns rose high into the sky. Gold and purple tapestries graced the walls, and ivy climbed some of the pillars. The air was heavy with the scent of lilacs. Golden braziers burned merrily at intervals around the room. A huge marble staircase with golden handrails curved up and away on the far side of the hall.

We stood silently and gaped for a few moments.

"I guess we found Enbane," Leander commented.

"Did we ever," Andromeda agreed.

"Who dares enter Boreas's domain?" A booming voice bounced from wall to wall and echoed down to us.

The four of us shrunk back, feeling very small and out of our league.

"I said, who dares to enter Boreas's domain?" the voice reiterated when we didn't say anything.

Since she was the leader, and probably feeling a bit of leaderly duty, Andromeda stepped forward hesitantly. "We do, sir," she spoke softly.

"Oh, that takes care of it," the voice chuckled. A young man zipped down the stairs to float in front of us.

I say float, because he_ was_ actually floating. I figured out just how he pulled this off when I glimpsed his feet. Small wings on either side of his ankles fluttered rapidly, keeping him aloft.

_That must be handy….._

The young man had golden blond hair, thickly muscled arms and legs, and pearly grey eyes that sparkled with merriment. He was dressed in a white Greek toga thingy with a belt of gold around his middle.

"How came such young Demi-gods to find the palace of Enbane?" he inquired. "Such a thing had not been done in many years."

Andromeda opened her mouth to answer, but was interrupted.

"Brother? Where _have_ you gotten to now?" Another voice called.

Soon, the first young man was joined by another. The pair was very different in looks, but strangely still close enough to be twins.

The second young man had dark hair that curled slightly at the ends. His eyes were a similar grey to the first young man, but the lacked the glimmer of laughter. He was also muscular and had flying feet. A stormy grey tunic, belted with silver, hung about his frame.

He contemplated us coldly.

I gulped under his scrutinizing gaze.

The first young man turned back to us. "Excuse me my rudeness. I am Calais, son of Boreas, and this is my brother, Zethes." He gestured to his unsmiling companion. "You are welcome here, as long as you mean us no harm."

"Oh, we don't," Andromeda assured him. "I am Andromeda Roelle. This is Tobias Jackson, and Cassi O'Toole. I believe you know Eros. We have come from Camp Half-Blood."

Understanding lit up the brothers' eyes.

Zethes spoke for the first time. "You have come to dissuade our father from supporting the giants in their war against Atlantis."

His voice struck a chord in my mind. It sounded so familiar, but I couldn't put a finger on it…. He looked in no way familiar, however. I shrugged mentally, and forgot about it.

Andromeda nodded in response to Zethes.

Calais sighed. "All right, we'll take you to him, but don't expect him to listen."

_Boreas sounds like such a nice guy…._

The brothers led us through the palace to an even grander room. A massive throne dominated the end of the hallway. A man sat in it.

Calais and Zethes bowed respectfully to him.

I was majorly surprised at his appearance. The man was _old. _His shoulders bent forward. A long beard tumbled down his chest and his head was devoid of much hair.

"Father Boreas," Calais addressed him. "These three young Demi-gods from Camp Half-Blood have been sent to speak with you."

We bowed, and a cold breeze rushed past us, whipping our clothes and hair about, then vanished.

The man stood, and I noticed that his tunic rustled and flapped as if he were surrounded by a constantly playful wind. Even though there was no wind right now.

"They _have,_ have they?" he questioned. His voice was surprisingly deep and strong for one who appeared so old and feeble.

"Ye-yes, Sir Boreas," Andromeda mumbled. She explained to him that we had come to plead with him to drop out of the war with the Atlantians.

He listened quietly while she talked, then told us that he had to think about his answer. He invited us to stay the night in the palace.

We agreed readily, preferring that to one more night in the van.

Calais escorted Andromeda and I to our own suite, while Tobi and Leander followed Zethes.

There were two plush king-sized beds, covered with velvet, in the room along with two large wardrobes. A door branched off on the left side, leading to a huge washroom.

Andromeda flopped onto a bed, and I headed to the bathroom.

I took a wonderfully drawn-out and relaxing bath. It felt great to be clean.

Pretty soon, we both crawled under the down blankets and fell sound asleep.

The next morning, we got dressed and found that breakfast had been delivered to our room.

We ate swiftly, and met up with the boys.

Without delay, we scrambled down to the throne room to hear Boreas's reply.

"I have decided," he began dramatically. "_Not_ to decide."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

I almost groaned, but opted not to since that would probably just upset the god.

"I believe that you four will go straight to Atlantis after leaving here, am I right?" Boreas assumed.

When Andromeda nodded, he continued. "I shall send my sons with you. They shall observe what is happening there and report back to me. I shall make my decision then."

It was hardly satisfactory, but we knew we wouldn't get any other answer from him. We simply bowed respectfully, thanked him for his hospitality, and gathered our things.

Calais and Zethes joined us at the gateway that led back to the North Shore. They had dressed in less conspicuous jeans and t-shirts. Their normally bare feet had been covered with skater shoes, and they stayed earth-bound rather than flying, as was normal for them.

Tobi was the first one to leap back through the doorway. The rest of us soon followed. From there, we clambered back down the cliff side to the van.

_Another day of endless driving._

I was _not_ looking forward to this.

After yet another boring day of travel, we settled down in our usual deserted field to sleep.

_More sleeping bags and mosquitoes. Oh boy!_

Regardless, I dropped off to sleep pretty quickly.

A strange noise awoke me in the middle of the night. My eyes snapped open, as I thought I heard my name being called.

I sat upright and listened more closely. The noise seemed to be coming from the woods.

Recalling the Leucrocuta's knack for imitating voices, I leaned over and shook Tobi awake.

"Wha-at?" he groaned, swatting half-heartedly at my hand.

"Tobi!" I hissed in his ear. "Wake up!"

He did.

"Listen!" I commanded. The strange sound was a little louder this time. 

Tobi's brows lowered in confusion. "What was that?" he whispered.

"I don't know." I stood and picked up Antigone from her spot beside my sleeping bag.

Tobi stood as well and grabbed his sword.

We cautiously tiptoed to the edge of the forest, being careful not to wake the others.

Yet.

Nothing jumped out at us right away. Surprising, I know.

The pair of us strolled warily through the shadowy trees, on guard for any attacks.

There was nothing. We didn't hear anything either.

"Strange," I breathed.

Tobi glanced at me. "Back to sleep?" he suggested.

I nodded and turned to go back to camp.

Haha. Nothing ever works out right for me.

Two forms swooped down on us, knocking me off my feet.

Tobi unsheathed his sword in an instant and swung as the form came back at him.

The other one charged me, and I rolled out of the way, then scrambled awkwardly to my feet. I blocked a blow with Antigone, but doubled over as something clipped my side.

Something swooshed past my face and left a warm, stinging, oozing cut on my cheek.

I heard clanging from nearby as Tobi fought off the other person.

My eyes had adjusted to the darkness by now, just in time to see skeletal beings erupting from the ground.

_Oh great…._

As I was distracted, the person disarmed me with a flick of his weapon that sent Antigone skittering across the forest floor.

I dove to the side as he swung at me.

I scooped my sword up and rolled to my feet. I turned to face my attacker and caught a clear glimpse of who it was.

"Calais," I growled.

He grinned and turned away. He joined his sibling in trying to disarm Tobi, who was fighting them off valiantly.

His disinterest in me was confusing, until clammy hands clamped down on my arms.

Or, clammy _not _hands….. More like bones.

The skeletal figures that had been springing up from all around clustered about me. One snatched Antigone from me as I swung at a skeleton. I tried to yank away from them, but when I broke free from one grasp, three more took its place.

I was knocked in the side of the head, and my vision went blurry. It came back into focus momentarily, enough for me to see Tobi running after me. Calais and Zethes disarmed him easily, and punched him in the stomach. Tobi doubled over in pain and dropped to his knees.

Each of the brothers gripped Tobi's arms as he tried to get back up. He struggled, still watching me getting dragged away.

"Cassi!" he yelled.

He kicked at Calais's shin, but Zethes whacked him in the back of the head. Tobi slumped forward, unconscious.

The skeletons dragged me back towards the holes they had made when they popped up. I thrashed back and forth and screamed.

One of the skeletal hands came up and thumped me in the side of the head.

I slumped into blackness and knew no more.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

I slowly awoke to a pounding headache and numbness in my arms and hands.

_Oh wonderful, yet another great day ahead._

I didn't open my eyes just yet for fear of what I might see.

A voice that I recognized as Zethes's rasped through my consciousness, such as it was.

"We have brought her, my lord."

I couldn't resist seeing who this "lord" was, so I peeked through my half-closed eyelids.

I was in a large throne room made of human bones. Yet again…

Zethes and Calais stood on either side of me. I was on the ground with my hands bound behind my back.

_That might be why my hands are numb._

A raspy, gravelly voice spoke through the darkness. "I see that you have."

"So," Zethes spoke again. "About the – uh – reward?"

_Wait… I know this scene!_

The dream that I had had a few days ago came back to me.

"Bring her here," the man Zethes had addressed as "lord" commanded.

I quickly snapped my eyes shut and made myself limp. Zethes and Calais each gripped one of my arms and carried me forward.

They stopped, but I dared not move.

The front half of me felt a chill creeping across my skin. A frigid finger placed itself under my chin and lifted my head.

It was seriously difficult, but I stayed limp.

The single finger was joined by four others, holding my chin so that their owner could look at me closely.

"Ah, yes," the voice whispered. The hand was withdrawn. "You have done well. Take her to the dungeon."

Knobby hands took me from Calais and Zethes and I was dragged away.

I slit my eyes open and finally saw who had paid the brothers to turn me in.

He was tall and thin, with pallid skin. He had stringy dark hair that hung just past his shoulders. Black robes cascaded down to the floor. There seemed to be faces constantly appearing and disappearing in his clothing. Haunted, terrified faces. He sat on an ebony throne.

Skeletal warriors stood ramrod straight in a line along the wall, guarding this "lord".

I knew who this man was. He was the god Hades, lord of the underworld.

_This just keeps getting better and better. _

My skeletal companions lugged me out of the throne room and down several long hallways. Black and red drapes covered the dark walls and bony sconces with flickering flames sent weird shadows chasing each other across the floor.

My feet bounced down a set of winding stairs as the guards tugged me along.

Finally we reached a dank, and if it was possible, darker, creepier corridor. They tossed me into a cell and locked the door. Then, they rattled away, leaving me completely, utterly alone.

I sat up gingerly, and with difficulty since my hands were still bound behind me.

The cell was about six feet by four feet. The walls were made of bone, as was the cell door.

_I begin to see a pattern in Sir Hades' decorating…_

There was nothing else. At all. No light, no bed, no dust even.

Ok, I take that back. There were a few rats, also skeletal.

I sighed.

_How am I gonna get out of _this _mess? _

I wriggled my hands back and forth. The ropes were tied loose enough for me to slide them over my wrists and off my hands.

_Ahh…That feels much better._

I sighed. There wasn't much to do. A quick scan of the cell assured me there was absolutely no way to escape. Settling back against the wall, I simply_ sat and thought._

_ What in the world would Hades want with me? _

I couldn't answer my own question.

Several hours later, I thought I might go insane if I had to sit in the tiny cell any longer. As if they had guessed my thoughts, an escort of skeletal soldiers marched into the dungeon and proceeded to unlock the door.

"Get up," one of them barked at me. "Lord Hades wants to see you."

I rose to my feet and let them lead me up the stairs once more.

_ I guess I'll find out soon enough…_


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen 

I walked along the shadowy halls surrounded by my ever-impassive skeletal escort. Turning to the nearest one, I said, "Nice to see you again. How are the wife and kids?" When he made no response, as I had expected, I continued. "Ah. Not married? Somehow, I'm not surprised." I muttered under my breath as I turned away from him.

Seeing as how my attempts to keep myself sane by conversing weren't helping much, I walked in silence until we reached the doors to Hades's throne room.

_Here we go…_

Two skeletons shoved the doors open and urged me through.

I stumbled a bit, but stayed on my feet. They hadn't bothered to bind my hands again, and I began to hope that I could pull off an escape. Just how I could escape – that part I was still working on.

Lord Hades reclined in his ebony throne at the far side of the throne room. Two figures stood before him. One was a girl and one was a boy.

I guessed them to be about sixteen or seventeen.

When Hades spotted me, however, he waved aside the pair. dThey moved to stand to the left of his throne.

I ignored the pair, though I _was_ wondering who they were, seeing as how they were the only humans I had seen so far in the Underworld.

I strolled right up to Hades's throne and halted. I didn't speak. I didn't bow. I just waited for him to make the first move.

He did. Without bothering to stand, Hades spoke. "Ah, Cassiopeia, how good to finally meet you."

I didn't find anything especially good in seeing the lord of the Underworld, but I didn't say so. It was just a guess, but I was pretty sure he would take offense.

"Your father and I – " He hesitated. "We're… old acquaintances."

_That_ got my attention. Dad knew Lord Hades? What in the world? Or should I say, what in the _Under_world?

"Excuse me Sir, but could you get to the point? Tell me why I'm down here, if you would. I'm rather anxious to get back my comfy little cell," I said with a straight face and arms crossed.

He sat back in the throne, studying me with an amused smirk on his lips. He chuckled quietly.

I suppose he was amused, but to me the chuckle just sounded freaky.

"You are a feisty young thing," he commented.

"Is that supposed to be a compliment?"

Finally, he stood from his throne. "All right Miss O'Toole, I shall get to the point. Frankly, I am collecting a debt of sorts."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Many years ago, your father struck a deal with me."

A white light flashed in my head, and I wasn't in the throne room anymore. I mean, I _was_ in the throne room, but what I was seeing wasn't Hades's throne room.

Things were too blurry and too bright. I couldn't make out any details – but I could hear. Car tires screeched on pavement, someone yelled, and then there was a sickening thump. Somewhere, a child screamed.

The air seemed to grow thick around me and my breath came in short, rapid gasps.

An ambulance's siren wailed and I heard people shouting. Then, it went quiet. The only things that could be heard were a machine beeping and someone sobbing.

My knees turned to marshmallow fluff and I sank to the cold floor.

The crying person began to speak – try to speak, rather.

"Cassi, oh my Cassi."

The voice was my dad's!

Dad – or the person who sounded a lot like him – continued to sob my name. In the background, the machine continued its incessant beeping.

Dad's sobbing slowly died off.

_Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeeeep._

The white light slowly faded from my vision, but it left a throbbing pain in my head that made me want to scream in agony. My eyes snapped into focus and I found myself on my hands and knees in the throne room, heaving in great gulps of air. Sweat beaded on my face.

Hades spoke again in his eerie, rasping voice. "So you see, when you were very young, you were in a very serious accident. My Reaper showed up to collect your soul, but your father begged it not to take you. In fact, he went so far as to attack the Reaper. Finally, he agreed to let the Reaper take you if he could come along as well." He stopped to take a rattling breath.

I still knelt on the stones of the floor, simply trying on not being sick. I tried to focus on what Hades was saying, but my head hurt so bad.

"When he arrived, we negotiated. The result was this: your father agreed to be my servant for eternity if I would let you live."

Pain flared in my chest as I heard what my Dad had done. I didn't doubt that what Hades had said was true. Dad would do that for me. I sat back and clutched my aching heart.

"Of course I never, and I do mean never, negotiate about deaths, but your father was an exception. Quite honestly, I miss having human servants around me." Hades motioned with a flick of his wrist toward the skeletons that stood at attention. "My soldiers are not quite… the same."

I tried to speak. "Why –" The word came out as a strangled gasp, so I stopped. I swallowed and tried again. "Why am I here then?"

I sounded pitiful, even to my ears.

Hades clapped his hands together. "Ah yes, I had forgotten to mention one little detail. Your father agreed to be my servant, as long as he could stay with you until you were old enough to go to Camp Half-Blood."

My eyes widened. I had gone to Camp Half-Blood _this year._ That meant…

_No! Not now! I need him! Daddy, oh why did you agree to this? _

"Since this was the year you went to said camp, I decided to collect my new servant. I sent some of my skeleton soldiers – my Reapers would have been rather inadequate for a still living human – but your father ran. I have tried repeatedly to snare him, but each time he manages to elude those soldiers." Hades sighed and threw his hands up in a helpless gesture. "I would go myself, but I am a very busy man – er, god."

Hades strode leisurely toward me. His robes rippled as they snaked across the floor.

"You see, I still desire a human servant. Since your father was so very determined not to be that servant, I thought I might settle for you." He stopped right in front of me and dropped to one knee so that he was on my level. "You are now my servant." He poked one blackened and very sharp fingernail into my chest.

Up close, Hades was even more petrifying than I had thought. I met his eyes.

They were dark – the darkest I had ever seen, but they were somehow… empty. Like pools of nothing.

The corners of his lips curled in a terrifying smile. Almost as an afterthought, he added. "Now that I think about it, I believe I will enjoy having you as a servant much more than your father." He lifted my chin with his finger. "Yes, yes, I believe I will. You're much nicer to look at."

Hades stood, dismissing me, and strolled back to his throne. "You start in the morning. Oh," He halted and looked over his shoulder. "I forgot to mention, this is not a paid position."

I wanted to say 'Was that supposed to be funny?' I wanted to joke, to pull out one of my sarcastic comments, but I wasn't able. I didn't move. I _couldn't_ move. I felt like I might explode into little pieces.

The skeleton soldiers marched forward to take me back to my cell.

I just tried to keep myself together.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen 

Back in my cell, I curled up in the corner, wrapped my arms around my knees, and allowed myself to dissolve into tears. I hardly ever cried; I wasn't that kind of girl. But this situation was too much for my composure, so I wallowed in self-pity and sorrow for a long time.

Well, it could have been a long time. It could have been hours, or it could have been days. Maybe even minutes. I truthfully had no idea and I didn't care. A kind of numbness settled over me. I sat on the cold stones of the floor and stared at the wall.

A steady trickle of filthy water dripped down along the seams between the cement blocks that made up the cell walls.

Eventually, I snapped out of my self-pity. Of course, that was all because of a thought that I had. At least my dad was safe. As long as he was all right, I was happy. If he had been down here instead of me, I would have been much worse off.

With nothing else to do but look forward to my first day as 'eternal servant' to Hades, I decided to get some rest.

An enraged screech pierced the air and chased away any thoughts of getting sleep.

"Psyyyyycheeeeeee!"

The screaming continued, accompanied by the sound of shattering ceramics and stomping feet from overhead.

Another voice joined that of the first woman's and thus began the worst (And loudest) quarrel I had ever overheard.

The sounds of footsteps on the stairs made me glance up.

The young man and woman that I had seen before in the throne room appeared around the corner. They glanced right, then left to make sure there were no guards. Then, the pair sauntered in, looking like they owned the place.

Now that they were closer, I could study them better.

The guy was tall and slim, with dark hair that hung in his face. There were crimson highlights in his bangs. The girl looked very similar, with her dark hair and red highlights. Her hair was about the same length as the young man's. Both dressed in black skinny jeans and black tee-shirts. The girl wore a leather jacket and black combat boots, while the guy had on a studded belt and black Converse. Eyebrow piercings were evident on both of them. They strolled right up to my cell and watched me silently.

I stared back, too emotionally drained to think of anything to say.

The girl spoke first. "Hey, I'm Zaviara. This is my twin, Zander."

I stood and walked closer to the bars. I only needed to take one or two tiny strides because the cell was so small.

"I'm Cassi. I'd say it was nice to meet you, but to tell the truth, I would rather not be here."

Zander grinned. Another crash and a shriek from upstairs made me jump.

"What is going on up there?" I demanded. "Or do I want to know?"

Zaviara shook her head dismissively. "It's only Persephone and Psyche fighting."

"Again," Zander added, rolling his eyes.

"Something about Persephone's beauty cream," Zaviara commented.

"Again," Zander repeated.

We fell silent. The pair studied me, making me uncomfortable.

"Um, why are you staring at me?"

Zaviara ducked her head, smiling in embarrassment. "Oops, don't mean to stare."

"Sorry," Zander added. "You're really the only living human we've ever seen."

"Except for Uncle Nico," Zaviara broke in.

It was a little creepy how they kept finishing each other's sentences.

"The only human you've ever seen?" That was a little hard to believe.

Zander nodded. "We've never really left the Underworld…"

_Never? They've lived here all their lives? That must be seriously depressing._

Suddenly, I realized who they must have been. My mouth fell open. "Are you two Hades's kids?"

They nodded. "Two of them, at least," Zaviara noted.

"There are more of you?"

Zander spoke up. "Only three demi-god children, us and Uncle Nico. He's actually our half-brother, but he's old enough to be our father. All dad's other children are immortal."

Hearing Hades being referred to as 'dad' was seriously wierding me out.

A loud crash echoed down from the floor above us.

Zaviara glanced toward the ceiling and then at her brother. "We'd better hurry up before Psyche decides to leave."

Turning to me, Zander stepped closer to the cell bars. "We have a proposition to make, one that will get you out of this dungeon."

_Get me out? Really? _

I leaned closer. "Anything to get me out of here," I said with vehemence.

He chuckled. "I thought as much. Listen, we've never been out of the Underworld, like we told you."

"Never been _allowed _to, actually," Zaviara cut in.

"But we've always wanted to," Zander continued.

"Yeah, so we thought you might help show us around, like a guide, if we let you out."

"So, what do you say?" They both looked at me with hopeful faces.

I looked back and forth between them, unsure if there were any more strings attached. "That's it? You just want me to show you around above ground? Nothing else?"

They nodded in unison.

"And you'll get me out of here?" This was almost too good to be true.

"Yep," Zander assured me.

"Awesome! Let's get going then."

Huge grins spread across their faces. "All right, stand back," Zaviara warned.

I huddled in one corner, covering my head with my arms and expecting an explosion of some sort. "What are you going to do?" I asked, my voice muffled.

I heard a click and screeching hinges.

"Uh, you can come out now," Zander said, holding up the key for me to see. "The door's unlocked."

"Oh." I rolled to my feet and followed them toward the stairs. "What's the plan?" I whispered.

Zaviara murmured back as we snuck up the winding staircase. "Well, Psyche has to leave sometime. Since she's a goddess, security isn't as tight for her."

"And, that means what?" I demanded, still not understanding.

She grinned back mischievously. "You'll see soon enough," was all she said.

The three of us crept past the door to Hades's throne room, being careful not to be, ahem, "seen" by his skeletal soldiers. The shouting grew louder as we threaded our way through another hallway. As I tiptoed by an open doorway, an object came whizzing by my head and shattered against the opposite wall.

"Persephone, you are a vain, idiotic woman! You think _I _stole your beauty cream? Most likely, it was Aphrodite!"

_Yikes! That was a close call!_

I leaped to the other side of the door, where the twins waited for me. "Do they fight like this often?" I asked in an undertone. Not that I needed to talk so quietly. The two old crones were making enough racket to wake the dead. Er – maybe that wasn't the greatest metaphor.

"Whenever they see each other. And sometimes through Iris message too."

"What's an Iris message?" I questioned.

Zaviara raised an eyebrow at me as we continued to make our way through the palace. "You don't know what an Iris message is?" she asked in disbelief.

"Call me stupid," I replied. "But I just found out this summer what a demi-god is, not to mention that I _am_ one. I'm a little behind."

"We'll just have to show you sometime," Zander broke in. "They're a little hard to explain to somebody who's never seen one."

Zaviara suddenly slipped off to one side and unlatched a door that I hadn't noticed at first.

We slinked through and shut the door behind us.

"There's her chariot," Zaviara pointed out.

The vehicle sat by the front gates of the palace, hooked to two Pegasi, their wings tucked in close to their bodies.

"That's how we get out of here," Zaviara commented, already stealing across the ground.

Zander and I followed, practically crawling on our bellies in the shadows that the walls of the palace so graciously provided. Once at the chariot, we wriggled underneath and entwined ourselves in the various bars and axles that supported the vehicle.

"Comfortable?" I grunted.

"Not - "

" – Really."

"Neither am I, but at least it's better than that cell. Not by much though."

The doors to the castle slammed open, and a figure stalked out. I could only make out the feet of the person because the chariot cut off the rest of my sight.

The chariot shifted as the person climbed into it. With a snap of the reigns, we began to move forward.

"This isn't over!" A voice screeched after us.

Psyche didn't answer as her Pegasi leapt into the air and began to fly.

The ground dropped away at a sickeningly fast pace. My stomach twisted nervously. The fields of Erebus passed by underneath us. A gate stretched across the Underworld, separating the wide fields from a black river, which I guessed was the River Styx.

The chariot descended by the gate for several skeleton guards to examine it before it left. One of the guards leaned down to peer under the basket of the chariot. Slowly, his chin, then his eyes cleared the bottom of it until he was staring me straight in the eyes.

_Gulp._

Fire jumped into his gaze and he opened his jaws to sound the alarm, but Zander quickly waved a hand in front of the skeleton's face, snapping his fingers once. The guard's eyes returned to their empty blackness, and he straightened without making any fuss.

_Phew. _

Glancing at Zander as the chariot took off once again, I mouthed "how did you do that?"

He just winked and rearranged his arms and legs into a more comfortable position.

The Underworld sped by beneath us, receding into nothing more than a bad dream. I hoped I never had to see it again.


End file.
